Venus Williams confirms, then dishes on, engagement to actor Andrea Preti

After becoming the oldest woman to win a WTA-level singles match since 2004 with her win over Peyton Stearns at the Mubadala Citi DC Open on Tuesday night, the seven-time Grand Slam singles champion broke the Internet again when she officially confirmed her engagement to Italian actor Andrea Preti.

Tabloid speculation had fueled the pair's whirlwind romance—they were first linked last year—since Williams, 45, was seen wearing a sparkling diamond ring in February. But Williams remained publicly mum on her beau until her winning on-court interview with former doubles world No. 1 Rennae Stubbs in the nation's captial, when the Aussie dubbed her "an engaged woman."

"My fiancé is here and he really encouraged me to keep playing," Williams replied after topping fellow American Peyton Stearns.

“There are no limits!”: Venus Williams becomes second oldest WTA singles match winner aged 45

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She later expanded on how the 37-year-old former model has motivated her to continue her career.

"There were so many times where I just wanted to coast and kind of chill," she continued. "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. So he encouraged me to get through this and it’s wonderful to be here. He’s never seen me play."

While Tuesday night was a milestone for the couple as far as Williams' competitive career goes, they had previously been spotted together on a tennis court in Rome, and at the Dsquared2 Fall/Winter 2025 fashion show during Milan Fashion Week this year.