Venus Williams may be a tennis legend with seven Grand Slam titles and a decades-long career under her belt, but now she’s celebrating a major personal milestone off the court. She’s engaged!
After keeping her relationship private for over a year, the 45-year-old tennis icon confirmed her engagement to actor-producer Andrea Preti following her return to the court on Tuesday, July 22. It was also her first singles match in more than a year.
Venus Williams Credits Fiancé Andrea Preti for Inspiring Her Tennis Comeback
In a post-match interview with Rennae Stubbs, the Watchmen star was asked directly, “You are now an engaged woman… how much has he made a difference in your life?”
(Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)Williams beamed as she responded, “My fiancé is here, and he really encouraged me to keep playing. 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?… So he encouraged me to get through this, and it’s wonderful to be here. He’s never seen me play.” She was also spotted wearing the engagement ring.
Inside Venus & Andrea’s Low-Key Love Story
(Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)Though the couple kept their relationship out of the spotlight, they were first publicly linked in July 2024 after being photographed boating in Nerano, Italy, along the Amalfi Coast.
By February 2025, engagement rumors swirled when Williams was spotted wearing a sparkling diamond ring outside a tennis training session in Rome.
Later that month, the couple attended the Dsquared2 Fall/Winter 2025 fashion show during Milan Fashion Week, where Williams was once again seen wearing a noticeable square-cut diamond on her left hand.
However, this ring appeared different from the one she wore previously, keeping fans guessing.
(Photo by Alessandro Levati/Getty Images for Dsquared2)Preti, 37, is a former model-turned-actor whose credits include the Italian TV series “A Professor” and the film “One More Day.”
Why Venus Was Never in a Rush to Settle Down
(Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)Williams’ engagement marks a new chapter in her life — and a shift in mindset. Just three years ago, the seven-time Grand Slam champion spoke candidly in a Cosmopolitan cover story about not feeling “desperate” to settle down.
“I have a lot of friends who don’t believe me when I say that I like my life and I don’t want to change it for any reason. I’m not desperate and they don’t believe me,” she said in an interview with Cosmopolitan 2021.
She was previously linked to model Elio Pis in 2012 and often addressed the pressures surrounding her dating life. “They say things like, ‘You’re going to miss your window,’” Williams told Cosmopolitan. “I’m like, ‘Please, relax. You might feel this way, but I don’t. I promise you I don’t.'”
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Venus Williams Is Engaged: See the Ring