Game, set and match: Venus Williams confirms engagement to Andrea Preti during tennis comeback

After much online speculation, Venus Williams has officially confirmed her engagement to actor Andrea Preti.

The tennis star revealed the news during a post-match interview on Tuesday, July 22, after she made a triumphant return to tennis following undergoing health issues in 2024.

The 45-year-old, who won the match upon her highly anticipated return, confirmed the engagement news and shared that Preti has been a great support and encouragement to her. 

“Yes, my fiancé is here, and he really encouraged me to keep playing. And there were so many times where I just wanted to coast and kind of chill.

“He has never seen me play,” she added.

Williams and Preti first sparked engagement rumours in February when Williams was spotted wearing a diamond ring in Rome.

However, she has never addressed the rumours or spoken about the engagement before confirming the news during the on-court interview.

Despite the multi-Grand Slam champion and the actor keeping their relationship out of the public eye, the couple have been spotted multiple times in public.

Williams and Preti first sparked dating rumours in July 2024 in Italy.

Williams received congratulations not only for her engagement but also for making history as the second-oldest player since 1990 to win a top-level match.

Her bold comeback comes after she took a 16-month hiatus from the sport due to uterine fibroids and Sjögren’s syndrome.

According to Mayo Clinic, Sjögren’s syndrome is a disorder of your immune system identified by its two most common symptoms -  dry eyes and a dry mouth.

In an interview with “Harper’s Bazaar” in 2024, Williams revealed that she spent seven years undiagnosed and how challenging it was for her as an athlete with the health issues she was faced with, and still having to show up for practice or a match.

“I had all kinds of symptoms, but that was very challenging as an athlete. When you crash, you go so hard that you can’t get up, literally. But I still got up, because I had to. Lying in bed is not fun. There is no substitute for being well. I had to change my pace,” she said.

She added: “It took seven years before I was diagnosed. It was a head-trip. I wasn’t reaching my full potential and I didn’t know why. Was I working too hard? What was I doing wrong? That takes its toll and it’s not easy to walk out there when you don’t have much to give.”