“I’m excited to be back in Australia”: Venus Williams continues Australian swing with Hobart entry

Venus Williams continues to add tournaments to her calendar after receiving a new preparatory wildcard ahead of the Australian Open. The seven-time major champion was confirmed with an invitation to the WTA 250 Hobart International, which will be played in the week prior to the Happy Slam.

Hobart has been positioned for more than three decades as one of the key warm-up tournaments for the Australian Open, with historic champions including Kim Clijsters, Petra Kvitova, and Garbiñe Muguruza. The defending champion will be McCartney Kessler, who defeated Elise Mertens in the final in 2025.

Williams will not be the only former Grand Slam champion in the draw, as world No. 29 and former US Open champion Emma Raducanu will also compete in the main draw as the tournament’s second seed. The field also includes two-time major champion Barbora Krejcikova, who is looking to add points and victories to recover ranking positions after a 2025 season marked by injuries. In total, nine Top 50 players will take to the courts during the week prior to the Australian Open.

The news of Venus Williams’ confirmation comes just a couple of days after she was officially confirmed to play the Australian Open, returning to the first major of the year after five years of absence. The American received the eighth wildcard and will return to Melbourne 28 years after her first appearance, back in 1998, when she reached the quarterfinals.

The announcement of Williams’ participation was part of the tournament launch, with Hobart International Tournament Director Darren Sturgess delighted to have Williams in the field. “We are thrilled to have Venus Williams choose to start her 33rd WTA Tour season in Australia, right here at the Hobart International, ahead of competing at the Australian Open,” said Sturgess.

“Next week, world-class tennis arrives here in Hobart like never before, as the tournament continues to gain significant attention and interest from big-name players — like Williams, Raducanu, Krejcikova, Mertens, Kessler — and many more from all over the globe.”

Williams herself thanked the organization for the wildcard received. “I’m excited to be back in Australia and looking forward to competing in Hobart this summer,” the former world No. 1 said.

The tournament will get underway on Monday, January 12, and there are still several wildcard spots yet to be announced, including places reserved for local players. “There are three further wildcard spots to announce and we are talking with more players here and also looking forward to announcing some Australians to join the playing field in the coming week,” the tournament director added.

This will already be the third tournament confirmed by Venus Williams at the start of the year, as she is also expected to make her 2026 season debut at the ASB Classic in Auckland. The 45-year-old currently sits at world No. 582 and has had no issues securing wildcards across three tournaments of the Australian swing to begin the season.

The American showed a strong level just a few months ago during the US Open Series, competing at the DC Open, Cincinnati Masters, and the US Open. In her return after 16 months, Williams earned a victory over world No. 35 Peyton Stearns, showing that she still has the level to record wins on the WTA Tour.

The five-time Wimbledon champion also made appearances in doubles — partnering Hailey Baptiste in Washington and Leylah Fernandez at the US Open. Her partnership with the Canadian proved particularly successful, as they secured three wins before reaching the quarterfinals, where they were eliminated by the world No. 1 doubles team of Kateřina Siniaková and Taylor Townsend.

Williams also competed in mixed doubles at Flushing Meadows, teaming up with fellow American Reilly Opelka, although they were eliminated in their opening match by Andrey Rublev and Karolina Muchova.