Tennis superstar Venus Williams has shared a surprising new detail about her relationship timeline, revealing she was secretly engaged to her now-husband Andrea Preti for six months before announcing it to the world.
A Secret Engagement Revealed
On Tuesday, the seven-time Grand Slam champion posted a series of intimate photographs from the moment she accepted Preti's proposal. The images, captioned 'Engaged 1/31/25', show the couple posing happily with their dog Harry and sharing a loving embrace in an outdoor setting. While the exact location and manner of the proposal remain private, the date confirms the pair were engaged back in January 2025.
This revelation comes after Williams first publicly announced her engagement during a post-match interview at the D.C. Open in July, following her victory over fellow American Peyton Stearns. At the time, she credited her fiancé for encouraging her to continue playing, noting he had never seen her compete professionally. The couple then married in a lavish Italian ceremony in September.
Who is Andrea Preti?
Andrea Preti is a model, actor, and director who grew up in Denmark before relocating to Italy as a teenager. According to his IMDb profile, he trained at the prestigious Susan Batson Academy in New York. Preti wrote, directed, and starred in the 2014 indie film One More Day and has appeared in several Italian television productions, including the drama A Professor and the 2023 reality series Temptation.
Williams, who has largely kept her personal life private in recent years, has been previously linked to model Elio Pis in 2012 and financier Nicholas Hammond in 2017. With four Olympic gold medals and over $42 million in career prize money, she remains one of the sport's most decorated athletes.
Serena Williams' Shock Comeback Plans
In related tennis news, Venus's sister, Serena Williams, is reportedly planning a sensational return to professional tennis. The 44-year-old icon, a 23-time Grand Slam singles champion, has been inactive since the US Open in September 2022.
According to tennis reporter Ben Rothenberg, Serena has now officially applied for reinstatement and has been added back into the mandatory drug testing pool for active players. This move sets the stage for a potential comeback to the sport's highest level in 2026, more than three years after what was believed to be her final match.
