Venus Williams set to compete at ASB Classic following wildcard entry to 2023 Australian Open

WTA icon Venus Williams looks set to get a wildcard for next month’s ASB Classic. The five-time Wimbledon champion has been given a wildcard for the Australian Open which takes place over the last two weeks of January.

As preparation for the grand slam Williams reached the final of in 2003 and 2017, the 42-year-old wants to play in Auckland and because she is a former world No.1 and grand slam champion, she can claim the last wildcard available for the Classic, which begins on January 2.

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Unlike her sister, Serena, Venus hasn’t made any announcements about retiring, or moving on to the next chapter in her life.

However, she doesn’t play too often on the tour these days and results for 2022 haven’t been great. Williams’s last tournament was at the US Open in August, where she lost to Alison van Uytvanck 6-1 7-6.

While there has been no official word yet from Classic tournament director Nicolas Lamperin that Williams will be in Auckland, he confirmed last week that if she gets a wildcard for Melbourne, she’ll also play the Classic.

“We’re still waiting to hear from our friends in Australia. We’re hoping for some good news in the next few days,” Lamperin said last Tuesday. “The Australian Open is coming soon and I would expect them to start announcing some wildcards pretty soon.”

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Those wildcards have now been revealed, with one going the way of Williams. The other wildcards for the Classic have gone to former Australian Open winner Sofia Kenin, 15-year-old Brenda Fruhvirtova from the Czech Republic and one will also go to the winner of the New Zealand playoff tournament.