It’s finally official after weeks of whispers: Venus Williams is coming back to the Australian Open, thanks to a wildcard announced today by tournament organizers. The seven-time Grand Slam champ returns to Melbourne for the first time since 2021.

Five years have slipped by since Venus last played at the Australian Open—a place where she’s left her mark, reaching the final in both 2003 and 2017. Both times, her sister Serena stood in her way.

Venus, now 45, had already committed to the ASB Classic in Auckland next week, also via a wildcard. Ranked all the way down at world no. 582, she needs these invitations to get into top-level tournaments. That’s never really stopped her whenever she’s decided she wants back in.

She’s the final wildcard for the women’s singles that Tennis Australia announced, filling out a list mostly made up of homegrown talent: Talia Gibson, Priscilla Hon, Emerson Jones, and Tailah Preston. There’s also France’s Tiantsoa Rakotomanga Rajaonah, who got in through a deal with the French Tennis Federation, and American Elizabeth Mandlik via the USTA. Kazakhstan’s Zarina Diyas rounds out the group after winning the Asia-Pacific Wild Card Playoff in Chengdu.

Venus back on a big stage just feels right. She’s picked up 54 wins in 21 trips to the Australian Open. Her first was way back in 1998—28 years ago, believe it or not—when she reached the quarterfinals. She’s made it to the last eight at Melbourne nine times, and those two finals against Serena are still fresh for fans.

Her last run in Melbourne came in 2021, when she made it to the second round. She even became the first player over 40 to win a Grand Slam match since Martina Navratilova at Wimbledon in 2004. She beat Belgium’s Kirsten Flipkens in straight sets, then lost to qualifier Sara Errani in a rough match.

Venus has proven she can still mix it up with the best. She grabbed a win at the DC Open over Peyton Stearns, who was ranked No. 35 at the time. She played in Cincinnati and at the US Open too, though she didn’t notch any more wins.

Doubles? She’s still got it there, too. At the US Open, she reached the quarterfinals with Leylah Fernandez and teamed up with Reilly Opelka in mixed doubles (though that run didn’t last past round one). The doubles wildcards for Australia aren’t out yet. Honestly, don’t be shocked if Venus gets another invite.

Aryna Sabalenka, the world's top-ranked player, mentioned on Jan 1 that she's eager for a rematch against Nick Kyrgios in their Battle of the Sexes exhibition, aiming to settle the score.

Kyrgios of Australia defeated Sabalenka of Belarus 6-3, 6-3 during a match in Dubai on Dec 28 that got a lot of attention. The rules were changed, resulting in mixed reactions from viewers.

To try and reduce any advantage Kyrgios might have had in power and speed, Sabalenka’s side of the court was made smaller by nine percent. Also, each competitor only got one serve.

I’d definitely do it again, Sabalenka stated before the Brisbane International, which marks the start of her season as she gets ready for the Australian Open on Jan 18.

I want to even the score because I don’t like how things ended.

Sabalenka is looking forward to playing Kyrgios once more, but she wants the complete court and two serves this time.

"I think the next match should have a different setup," she commented.

Before the match, I didn't know I'd have to change my game, which was kind of hard. I would keep the whole court but allow two serves. That would even things out more.

"I always say you learn when you lose, and I learned a lot about how he plays," she added. I’d play him again. I want to win.

The match wasn't much like the well-known Battle of the Sexes game in 1973 between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs.

Back then, the women's pro tour, created by King, was just getting started and fighting to be taken seriously, as well as for equal pay. Female players were earning much less than male players.

King, one of the best female players ever and in top condition, beat Riggs, who was 55 years old and a good player in his time, with scores of 6-4, 6-3, and 6-3 in Houston.

The Sabalenka-Kyrgios match was criticised by some, who called it a money grab, while others thought it didn't really do much to support women's tennis.

But Sabalenka feels that exhibition tennis, like the match with Kyrgios, is important.

“I think it’s really important for tennis to stay interesting, fresh, new, and fun,” she said.

She also mentioned she was happy to be a part of the Battle of the Sexes, even though Kyrgios has hardly played recently and is ranked low at 671 in the world.

"I'm happy I could make him work hard and get tired, both physically and mentally," she stated.

It was interesting to see a man get tired and use all his skills. It was a great experience.

The Brisbane International begins on January 4. Sabalenka is aiming to win her third Australian Open title, having won in 2023 and 2024.

Madison Keys defeated her in the Melbourne Park final in 2024.