Venus Williams 45 receives a wildcard to the Australian Open

The final women's wildcard for the tournament which starts on January 18 has been awarded to the seven time Grand Slam champion.

In 2021 Williams made her final appearance at Melbourne Park losing to Sara Errani of Italy in the second round.

"I'm grateful for the opportunity to return to a place that has meant so much to my career" she stated.

The American who finished second twice in the year's opening Grand Slam event will break the mark set by Kimiko Date of Japan who competed at the event in 2015 at the age of 44.

Additionally Williams has accepted a wildcard to the Hobart International warm-up which begins on January 12 and will include Emma Raducanu of Britain.

The former world number one hasn't competed outside of the US since 2023 after losing to her sister Serena in the 2003 and 2017 finals.

Last year Williams returned to the US Open in New York making history as the third-oldest female competitor in the Open era. However Czech Karolina Muchova upset her 6-3 2-6 6-1 in the opening round.