AUSTIN, Texas — Austin’s biggest women’s sporting event is welcoming one of the biggest women’s tennis stars to its courts later this month.
Venus Williams, a seven-time Grand Slam singles champion, will play in this year’s ATX Open, officials announced Wednesday. The professional sporting event is Texas’ only women’s tour-level tennis tournament and will take place Feb. 21 through March 1 at the Westwood Country Club.
Williams will compete in singles and doubles alongside almost two dozen Top 100 players from around the world, including Texas’ Peyton Stearns, Australia’s Ajla Tomljanović and China’s Xinyu Wang.
“I’m so excited to be heading to Austin and playing my first ATX Open,” Williams said in a statement to the event. “The city has such great energy, and I’ve heard the fans are incredible.”
Williams’ accolades go far beyond seven Grand Slam singles titles. She also boasts 49 Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) singles titles and 14 Grand Slam doubles titles with younger sister Serena Williams. Across the 2000, 2008, 2012 and 2016 Olympics, Williams collected four gold medals and one silver medal, becoming the most decorated tennis player in Olympic history.
ATX Open said Williams comes as a wildcard entrant, and one more wildcard announcement will come later this week.
“With Venus joining the action at Westwood, Year 4 of WTA Tour tennis in Austin puts the world on notice that the Texas Tennis Takeover is only growing,” tournament director Christo Van Rensburg said in a statement. “The last three years have delivered thrilling moments and memorable finals, and this year’s tournament will be unlike any we’ve had before.”