Confirmed: Venus Williams’ engagement rumors with Italian beau Andrea Preti is confirmed, and wedding date is revealed

Venus Williams was spotted with a huge diamond ring on her finger while cozying up to Italian beau Andrea Preti in Rome this week.  The tennis star, 44, has been linked romantically to actor and filmmaker Preti, 36, since they were first seen together on vacation in Nerano last summer.  And less than a year later, Venus has sparked rumors that they are already engaged after she was snapped wearing what looks like a wedding band on her left ring finger.

Preti joined his girlfriend for tennis training in Rome on Sunday, with the pair seen laughing together and holding hands in between her practice hits.  Williams could be seen wearing the ring – which boasts a square-cut diamond in the middle of a pavé-set – throughout the session as her man watched on from the sidelines.  After wrapping up practice, Andrea could be seen taking a photo of Venus with two other members of the group before they eventually left the sports club.

Venus Williams was spotted cozying up to her Italian beau Andrea Preti in Rome this week

The tennis star has sparked engagement rumors after she was seen with a ring on her finger Preti was seen supporting Williams during a tennis training session in Rome on Sunday

Resting her head on Preti’s shoulder for a cozy embrace was no challenge for the tennis star who stands only one inch shorter than him at 6ft 1in.  After heading out the loved-up couple could be seen sharing a kiss while walking together hand-in-hand.  It is unclear when exactly Venus and Andrea began dating, with their trip to Nerano on the Amalfi Coast in July 2024 marking their first public appearance together.

They were also pictured walking through New York City hand-in-hand a month later, before recently heading on another vacation to the Bahamas in recent months.  After sharing a photo of them together on her Instagram story, Williams added that Preti was ‘the best company’.  The seven-time Grand Slam champion and sister of Serena previously dated model Elio Pis back in 2012, before enjoying another romance with Nicholas Hammond five years later.

After both relationships didn’t work out, she opened up on her dating life in an interview with Glamour UK back in 2022.  ‘I’ve had a single life for a long time and I think it’s really easy to get stuck in a single life and sometimes – at least for me – harder to get out,’ she said.  ‘It makes you think about yourself and what you want and how to behave.’

                                   The loved-up couple were then seen enjoying a kiss as they headed off for the day

Venus added that she was willing to adapt if the right person came along, saying: ‘When life changes, you’ve got to know when to change.  ‘You can’t hold on to either a relationship or the singleness.’  Williams, a former world No. 1 in tennis, took part in the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells and the Miami Open last year.  And despite approaching her 45th birthday this summer, she reassured fans back in October that retirement isn’t on the cards anytime soon.  ‘I’m not done with the racket yet,’ she told Irish News.