'Queen V' keeps going: Venus Williams set for another comeback at Auckland’s ASB Classic

Venus Williams continues to stretch out her career, after confirming her participation in the upcoming WTA 250 ASB Classic, set to take place at the start of the season in Auckland, New Zealand. The 7-time Grand Slam champion will return just a few months after her North American swing, where she competed in several tournaments in both singles and doubles.

The former world No. 1 was recently confirmed for Auckland, which will mark her 33rd consecutive professional season, playing at least one match each year. Williams' participation in the WTA 250 tournament appears to be a clear sign that she might compete in the upcoming Australian Open.

This is significant because Williams has not played in tournaments outside the US for a while. Her last appearances abroad were in 2023 during the grass-swing, where she played in Birmingham and Wimbledon. That same season, she appeared in tournaments like the Montreal Open, Cincinnati Open, and US Open. She also participated in the Sunshine Double in 2024, while this 2025 she reappeared in the North American segment of the US Open Series.

The last time Venus Williams traveled to Auckland was back in 2023, where she beat Katie Volynets in the first round before falling to Lin Zhu. She showed up with a ranking outside the top-1000 and after 12 losses in her previous 13 matches.

However, this time, Venus' confidence will be much higher. At 45 years old, she showed resilience a couple of months ago. Between August and September, she played the DC Open, Cincinnati Open, and US Open, competing in a total of 6 draws, considering singles, doubles, and mixed doubles.

In any case, Auckland could bring back good memories for the legendary American, as she has already lifted the trophy there back in 2015, defeating the then-world No. 8 Dane, Caroline Wozniacki, in the final.

Her biggest highlight came in Washington, where she defeated world No. 35 Peyton Stearns in straight sets. The American also had another very interesting appearance in the US Open women's doubles alongside Leylah Fernandez. Her partnership with the Canadian stole the spotlight, filling the stadiums at Flushing Meadows. They won three matches (without dropping a set) but ultimately lost to the world No. 1 pair, Kateřina Siniaková and Taylor Townsend.

The former No. 1 also played in the singles draw, losing to Karolína Muchová, while in the mixed doubles, she teamed up with Reilly Opelka, also falling in their debut against Muchová and Andrey Rublev. Nevertheless, Venus' run through North America was a success, reaching the top-150 in doubles and re-entering the singles ranking to the top-600.

Although at this point, Venus likely cares little about the rankings, especially considering the attention she commands and the interest of tournaments in having her regardless of her number. For the 5-time Wimbledon champion, obtaining a wildcard is usually not an issue, and her appearance in Auckland could be a signal of a return to the Australian Open — which starts just one week after the ASB Classic final. In Melbourne, she reached the final in 2003 and 2017, losing both times to her sister, Serena Williams.

Venus Williams' last appearance at the Australian Open was back in 2021, where she reached the second round of the tournament. The American defeated Belgium's Kirsten Flipkens in the debut before losing to the Italian Sara Errani, who came from the qualifying rounds.

On that occasion, the victory against Flipkens gave her an important milestone: Venus became the first player to win a match in a Grand Slam main draw after turning 40 since Martina Navratilova set the mark at Wimbledon in 2004.