Venus Williams is officially an engaged woman.
After months of speculation, the tennis star confirmed she was officially engaged to Andrea Preti after becoming the oldest player to win a WTA singles match in more than 20 years, while playing her own first singles match in over a year at the DC Open.
In a post-match interview, she was asked by Australian former tennis player and commentator Rennae Stubbs: "You are now an engaged woman. So, how has Andrea helped you in this comeback? You're happy, a smile on your face. I mean, how much has he made a difference in your life?"
"My fiancé is here and he really encouraged me to keep playing," Venus replied, adding how "there were so many times where I just wanted to coast and kind of chill."
"Do you know how hard it is to play tennis? You guys don't know how much work goes into this, like it's 9 to 5 except you’re running the whole time. Lifting weights and just like dying and then you repeat it the next day," she emphasized, before revealing: "So he encouraged me to get through this and it’s wonderful to be here. He's never seen me play."
Catch up below on all to know about Venus and Andrea's relationship.
They kept their romance largely private
Venus and Andrea were first linked together almost exactly a year ago, on July 27, 2024, when they were spotted on a boat along the Amalfi Coast, in Nerano, Italy.
And though neither ever gave much insight into their relationship, they sparked engagement rumors in February of this year, when they were spotted outside of a tennis training session in Rome, and Venus was wearing a diamond ring on her left hand.
She was again spotted with a ring on that finger, albeit a different looking one, later that month when they both attended the Dsquared2 Fall/Winter 2025 fashion show during Milan Fashion Week.
He is an actor and producer from Denmark
Andrea, 37, was born in Denmark in 1988, and later moved with his family to Italy as a teenager.
Though he spent many years working as a model, he studied acting at the Susan Batson Academy in New York City, and made his film debut in One More Day, which he wrote, acted in, and directed.
He has also appeared in My Beloved Enemy, A Professor, Girls to Buy, and most recently, Temptation, in 2023.
Venus' past relationships
Among Venus' first public relationships was her relationship to professional golfer Hank Kuehne from 2007 to 2010. She later dated Cuban model Elio Pis from 2012 to 2015, and publishing heir Nicholas Hammond for two years, until 2019.
In 2022, she told Glamour UK of her dating life: "I've had a single life for a long time and I think it's really easy to get stuck in a single life and sometimes — at least for me — harder to get out," and noted: "It makes you think about yourself and what you want and how to behave."