THE RETURN: WHY VENUS WILLIAMS CHOSE 2026 FOR HER SHOCKING AUSTRALIAN OPEN COMEBACK
Venus Williams is back! The 7-time Grand Slam champ returns to the 2026 Australian Open as an official wildcard at 45 years old.
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.
WHY DID 22 PLAYERS SUDDENLY WITHDRAW FROM THE 2026 ITALIAN OPEN MID-TOURNAMENT?
Discover the full list of injured stars, including Carlos Alcaraz and Emma Raducanu, forced out of the 2026 Italian Open.
At the 2026 Italian Open, the number of players who have withdrawn or retired during matches has climbed to 22, spanning both the ATP and WTA competitions.
By midweek, 17 players had already exited the combined ATP/WTA 1000 event in Rome. Since then, an additional three men and two women have followed suit.
Before the draws were even announced on Monday, prominent names like Carlos Alcaraz, Taylor Fritz, Jack Draper, and Marketa Vondrousova had pulled out. On the opening day of the women’s tournament, Tuesday, Marta Kostyuk and Emma Raducanu also withdrew.
Amanda Anisimova, ranked sixth in the WTA, stepped back before her first match on Thursday due to a left wrist injury. Meanwhile, Victoria Mboko, who is ninth in the world, withdrew before playing on Friday because of a gastrointestinal illness.
Valentin Vacherot, the 16th-ranked player on the ATP tour, pulled out shortly before his scheduled second-round match against Marin Cilic on Friday, citing a foot injury.
Tomas Machac, holding the 41st spot in the men's rankings, also withdrew ahead of his second-round encounter with Daniil Medvedev after an impactful win against Stefanos Tsitsipas in round one.
Arthur Fils, ranked 17th, retired during his opening match against Andrea Pellegrino on Saturday, trailing 0-4, due to hip pain.
Here’s a rundown of the withdrawals on the ATP side: Carlos Alcaraz (No. 2) was replaced by Sebastian Ofner; Taylor Fritz (No. 7) by Zachary Svajda; Valentin Vacherot (No. 16) by Martin Landaluce; Arthur Rinderknech (No. 24) by Aleksandar Kovacevic; Holger Rune (No. 40) by Damir Dzumhur; Gabriel Diallo (No. 46) by Alexander Blockx; Jack Draper (No. 50) by Hamad Medjedovic; Raphael Collignon (No. 68) by Alexandre Muller; Reilly Opelka (No. 74) by Aleksandar Vukic; Arthur Cazaux (No. 73) by Mattia Bellucci; Kamil Majchrzak (No. 76) by Roberto Bautista Agut; and Eliot Spizzirri (No. 92) by James Duckworth.
On the WTA side, Amanda Anisimova (No. 6) was replaced by Elena Gabriela Ruse from Romania; Victoria Mboko (No. 9) by Nikola Bartunkova; Marta Kostyuk (No. 15) by Ajla Tomljanovic; Emma Raducanu (No. 30) by Lilli Tagger; Marketa Vondrousova (No. 44) by Solana Sierra; Sonay Kartal (No. 56) by Zeynep Sonmez; Varvara Gracheva (No. 61) by Eva Lys; and Veronika Kudermetova (No. 70) by Petra Marcinko.
THE "REST OVER REPS" PLAN: WHY JANNIK SINNER IS SNUBBING HALLE FOR WIMBLEDON
After 23 consecutive wins, World No. 1 Jannik Sinner adjusts his schedule to target a Career Grand Slam and Wimbledon glory.
Jannik Sinner has already logged a heavy schedule this year, with deep runs in recent Masters 1000 tournaments keeping him on court against top-tier competition regularly. Given this demanding stretch, he’s taken a fresh look at his calendar and decided to skip the Halle Open, carving out a three-week break between Roland Garros and his Wimbledon title defence.
The 2024 Wimbledon champion won’t be heading to Germany for the grass-court event. That’s notable since Sinner claimed that Wimbledon crown in impressive fashion, overcoming two-time winner Carlos Alcaraz to secure his first major title away from hardcourts. That victory was his latest Grand Slam, following Alcaraz’s wins at the previous two majors.
After Roland Garros, where he seeks to complete the career Grand Slam, Sinner plans to recharge rather than pile on more tournaments before Wimbledon. Without Alcaraz in sight, he’s considered a favourite to maintain his remarkable run. His recent haul includes titles at Indian Wells, Miami, Monte-Carlo, and, most recently, Madrid. Now, he’s setting his sights on Rome, his home turf, where he’s never clinched a win but is eager to continue an ambitious streak of Masters 1000 victories, aiming for a sixth in a row.
Post-Rome, he’ll take a week off before the French Open begins. In total, Sinner has played 23 matches over the last two months without tasting defeat. If he wants to lift the Rome trophy, he’ll need to notch six more wins, then potentially battle through seven more rounds in Paris. This demanding schedule partly explains his choice to forgo Halle.
As for the 2026 Halle Open, fans might be disappointed not to see the world number one, but the field remains strong. Heading the draw is Alexander Zverev, a local favourite who has yet to claim a grass-court title or even one on home soil. With Sinner out, this could be a prime opportunity for Zverev to break through.
The American players are also well represented. The U.S. hasn’t seen a finalist here since Mardy Fish in 2004, but Taylor Fritz and Ben Shelton might be poised to change that, especially Fritz, who has already shown grass prowess with titles in Stuttgart and Eastbourne last year.
Defending champion Alexander Bublik, who ousted Sinner on his way to victory and took down Daniil Medvedev in the final, will be back aiming to repeat. Alongside him, names like Andrey Rublev, Flavio Cobolli, and Frances Tiafoe are also set to compete. The tournament runs from June 15 to 21, promising plenty of exciting tennis.
