Venus Williams will compete in the Auckland tournament in January.

American tennis player Venus Williams, former world number one, will compete in the Auckland tournament in January 2026, organizers announced on Wednesday.

Venus Williams, 45, who has seven Grand Slam titles, received a wild card to participate in the tournament, which takes place from January 5 to 11 , as preparation for the Australian Open, the first major of the year, to be played between January 18 and February 1.

Absent from the circuit for almost a year and a half, Venus Williams returned to competition in July in Washington, where she faced her compatriot Peyton Stearns, 24 years old and ranked 35th in the world, who was not yet born when Williams won her first title at Wimbledon in 2000.

During the summer, she also played two matches, in Cincinnati and at the US Open, losing both, but not before winning a set against the world's 13th-ranked player, Czech Karolina Muchova, in New York.

“She is one of the great players of the modern era and her performance on the court speaks for itself,” said the Auckland tournament director, Nicolas Lamperin, emphasizing that Venus “has had a great influence on the evolution of women’s tennis and has inspired subsequent generations with her unwavering passion for the sport.”

Winner of the Auckland Classic in 2015, after defeating Denmark's Caroline Wozniacki in the final, Venus Williams has five wins at Wimbledon, two at the US Open and an Olympic gold medal, won at the Sydney 2000 Games.