Venus Williams grateful for Australian Open wildcard<br /><br />Seven-times Grand Slam champion Venus Williams thanks Australian Open organizers on Jan. 17, 2026 for giving her a wildcard that will see the 45-year-old American become the oldest woman ever to compete in the singles main draw. Williams returned to tennis last season after a 16-month break, winning one of her four tour-level matches before starting 2026 with a first-round defeat by 53rd-ranked Pole Magda Linette as a wildcard at the Auckland Classic last week. Granted another wildcard for the Hobart International, world number 576 Williams was also eliminated in the first round against 38-year-old German Tatjana Maria, a match featuring players with the highest combined age in WTA history.<br /><br />TENNIS AUSTRALIA<br /><br />Subscribe to The Manila Times Channel - https://tmt.ph/YTSubscribe<br />Visit our website at [https://www.manilatimes.net](https://www.manilatimes.net/)<br /><br />Follow us:<br />Facebook - https://tmt.ph/facebook<br />Instagram - https://tmt.ph/instagram<br />Twitter - https://tmt.ph/twitter<br />DailyMotion - https://tmt.ph/dailymotion<br /><br />Subscribe to our Digital Edition - https://tmt.ph/digital<br /><br />Check out our Podcasts:<br />Spotify - https://tmt.ph/spotify<br />Apple Podcasts - https://tmt.ph/applepodcasts<br />Amazon Music - https://tmt.ph/amazonmusic<br />Deezer: https://tmt.ph/deezer<br />Stitcher: https://tmt.ph/stitcher<br />Tune In: https://tmt.ph/tunein<br /><br />#TheManilaTimes<br />#WorldNews
