Venus Williams’ fiancé, Andrea Preti, cheered her on as she competed in the 2025 US Open.
Preti, 37, was an enthusiastic supporter of Williams, 45, during her first round singles match against Karolina Muchova inside Arthur Ashe Stadium on Monday, August 25.
Muchova, 29, ultimately defeated Williams in hard-fought match, 6-3, 2-6, 6-1.
The tennis star and the actor were first romantically linked in July 2024, when they were spotted enjoying a boat ride together in Nerano, Italy.
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Less than one year later, the couple sparked engagement rumors when Williams was seen wearing a diamond ring on her left hand while attending a Milan Fashion Week runway show with Preti in February.
Williams ultimately confirmed her impending nuptials in July, after winning her singles match against Peyton Stearns in Washington, D.C.’s Mubadala Citi DC Open 2025.
“My fiancé is here,” she told former Australian tennis player Rennae Stubbs in a post-victory interview at the time, garnering applause from the crowd. “He really encouraged me to keep playing. There were so many times where I just wanted to coast and kind of chill.”
Williams emphasized “how hard it is to play tennis” while crediting Preti with helping her stay motivated.
“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,” she continued. “[Andrea] encouraged me to get through this, and it’s wonderful to be here.”
When Williams mentioned that the match marked the first time Preti had watched her play professionally, Stubbs replied, “I’d say he’s a good luck charm,” which earned a smile and nod from Williams.
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Prior to being linked to Preti, Williams was forthcoming about her love life, telling Cosmopolitan in September 2021 that she wasn’t rushing into anything.
“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,” she explained. “I’m not desperate, and they don’t believe me.”
She added, “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.’”
The following year, Williams told Glamour UK that it was “harder to get out” of her routine as a single woman than it was “to get stuck” in it. However, she felt confident that things would fall into place when she met the right person.
“When life changes, you’ve got to know when to change,” she said in the October 2022 issue. “You can’t hold on to either a relationship or the singleness.”
