Venus Williamsmay have won a singles match on Tuesday – but the champion tennis player is very much a taken woman.
The 45-year-old star confirmed her engagement to Andrea Preti during a post-match interview following her first-round victory at the D.C. Open on Tuesday.
The Grand Slam winner not only made an unexpected return to the tennis court, beating fellow American Peyton Stearns, but she also dropped the news of her bride-to-be status.
‘My fiancé is here, and he really encouraged me to keep playing,’ Williams, who was first linked to Preti a year ago, said, adding:’He’s never seen me play.’
News the athlete was dating the actor-director, 37, was first thrust intothe public eye last July, with snaps of the loved-up couple canoodling on a yachtin Nerano, Italy,making the rounds online.
Williams has remained relatively private about her romantic life. Previously, the tennis champion dated model Elio Pis in 2012 before being linked to wealthy financier Nicholas Hammond in 2017.
Williams is a seven-time Major winner with five Wimbledon titles to her name as well as two US Open victories.
She has also won Olympic golds in singles and doubles events – where she competed alongside her famous sister Serena Williams – and has won around $42 million in prize money over the course of her iconic career.
Below, FEMAIL dives into everything you need to know about the pro-player’s fiancé.
The 45-year-old star confirmed her engagement to Andrea Preti, 37, during a post-match interview following her first-round victory at the D.C. Open on Tuesday
Who is Andrea Petri?
Andrea Preti is a model, actor and director who is native to Denmark, but moved to Italy as a teenager, according to IMDb.
He also attended the Susan Batson Academy for acting in New York City. He began his career working on TV in commercials and movies, before changing his focus into writing and directing.
After attending the illustrious academy, Preti wrote, directed, and starred in the 2014 indie film One More Day.
The performer has also appeared in several Italian productions, including the popular drama A Professor and the 2023 series Temptation.
He was also a contestant on the Italian reality version of The Mole (La Talpa) in 2023.
Andrea Preti is a model, actor and director who is native to Denmark, but moved to Italy as a teenager, according to IMDb
The performer has also appeared in several Italian productions, including the popular drama A Professor and the 2023 series Temptation
When did the couple start dating?
Preti was first linked to Williams in July 2024,sparking romance rumors while boating around Nerano together.
While taking in the stunning views of Amalfi Coast, the athlete and actor-director looked cozy as they whispered into each other’s ears under the warm Italian sunshine.
In one snapshot, Preti wrapped his arm around the seven-time Grand Slam champion, who has kept her love life extremely private over the past few years.
The couple first sparked engagement rumors in February 2025, afterWilliams was seen practicing in Italy with a huge ring on her wedding finger.
In 2021, during a chat with ESPN’s Chrissie Evert, Williams joked about her lack of love life, saying, ‘I’m very single. Actually, I might be undateable’
Williams, who was first linked to Preti a year ago, said Preti encouraged her to keep playing tennis
Venus previously said she ‘doesn’t feel the need to get married’ and even joked about being ‘undateable’
Williams has previously spoke about how she doesn’t feel the need to get married or settle down in her future.
In 2021, she told Cosmopolitan: ‘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 insisted. ‘They say things like, “You’re going to miss your window.” I’m like, “Please, relax. You might feel this way, but I don’t. I promise you I don’t.”‘
Also in 2021, during a chat with ESPN’s Chrissie Evert, Williams joked about her lack of love life, saying, ‘I’m very single. Actually, I might be undateable.’
A year later, in 2022, she candidly discussed how it can be ‘easy to get stuck in a single life.’
News the athlete was dating the 37-year-old actor-director made its way into the public eye last July, with snaps of the loved-up couple canoodling on a yacht in Nerano, Italy making the rounds online. Pictured in February 2025
Williams has previously spoke about how she doesn’t feel the need to get married or settle down in her future
Williams has remained relatively private about her romantic life. Previously, the tennis champion dated wealthy financier Nicholas Hammond in 2017 (left) and model Elio Pis in 2012 (right)
‘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 of a single life,’ she told Glamour.
She continued: ‘So, that’s probably something I’m working on now and it makes you think about yourself and what you want and how to behave. It’s definitely a lot of self-thought that goes into it.
‘And I guess for other people they are running to a relationship, which has never been my thing. So, we’re all different. This is how I work and function, and I’m OK with it.’
She added: ‘When life changes, you’ve got to know when to change. You can’t hold on to either a relationship or the singleness. You have to be able to move at the time – and even if you don’t want to or aren’t ready, you’ve just got to go with it.’
