Looking back and embracing the incredible journey! Tennis star, Venus Williams turned professional on October 31, 1994, at the age of just 14. On Thursday, Williams shared a few pictures from her incredible journey on her social media accounts to celebrate the 30th anniversary of her professional tennis debut. Several fans and familiar faces across the tennis world congratulated her on her remarkable journey, but the comment that stole the limelight was from an actor-producer! Who was it? Venus Williams’ rumored boyfriend, Andrea Preti.

Venus Williams started her professional tennis career at the Silicon Valley Classic in Oakland, She defeated former NCAA singles champion Shaun Stafford by two sets in the first round. Her recent pictures on social media gave us a glimpse of that iconic moment. She was seen signing autographs after the match in that picture. Starting from the alleys of Compton, then moving to West Palm Beach, Florida before landing herself on the summit of the tennis world on February 25, 2002. What a journey this has been for Venus Williams! Recalling those fond memories in a single glance, she captioned her IG post saying, “30 years ago today, I stepped on the court for my pro debut! 🙏🎾✨.” Andrea Preti was among the first to share a heartfelt reaction to this post.

He wrote, “Hunny Bonny ❤️” in the comment section, and then Williams thanked him in the Italian language, “@andreapreti88 grazie! ✨👵🏾😅.” After that, Preti came back with a reply in the same thread writing, “@venuswilliams prego🖖🏻🖖🏽,” which means “you’re welcome!” For those who have been following these two closely, there have been several such moments in the last few months where we’ve seen them engaging in some heartwarming scenes.

Take for example, in July this year both Venus Williams and Andrea Preti were seen spending vacation together in Nerano, Italy along the Amalfi Coast. Are they dating each other? Well, previously we heard Williams say, “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.” However, in Italy, we saw her enjoying the company of Andrea Preti with a broad smile. Neither of these two has yet confirmed anything about their relationship, however, their chemistry was palpable through multiple scenes from that trip. There was an instance when we saw Preti wrap his arm around Venus Williams and even offer her a shoulder massage.

Then after this, a week later, Venus Williams was yet again spotted with this 36-year-old Danish actor on the streets of NY. They were seen holding hands with each other as they took a stroll along the streets of this beautiful city. Andrea Preti wore a black T-shirt and grey sweatpants while Venus Williams was spotted donning a white tank top and green shorts, carrying a jacket of the same color. Fans have now started to love watching them together! However, Preti wasn’t the only one who showered love and praise on this post portraying Venus Williams’ incredible milestone. Who else commented on Venus Williams’ post, though?

Venus Williams’ close friend portrays his admiration for the tennis star

Apart from that post, Venus Williams also shared a couple of pictures on her IG stories. In the first story, she captioned, “When you come to play, come to change the game.” In the next one she penned down a long note saying, “This day 30 years ago I brought braids, beads the beginning of a game never seen before in tennis, it was the vision of my day. This day changed my life and I had no idea at 14 years old it would change so many others. So proud of those who came next. Never compromise, be unapologetically and authentically you, and be proud of you, you are and where you come from You never know, you just might change the game.”

 We also saw American men’s tennis player and Venus Williams’ close friend, Reilly Opelka comment, “greatness” to her recent IG post. Although Venus Williams has vehemently denied dating rumors with Opelka multiple times in the past, their social media interactions always kept their fans hooked. For example, during the Met Gala 2024, we saw Opelka literally running out of words as he swooned over Venus Williams’ classy look in shining attire. Both of them often show their support for each other in person and on social media. In 2021, Williams was also spotted showing up in several tennis matches featuring Reilly Opelka.

We also saw renowned tennis coaches, Rick Macci and Rennae Stubbs commenting on Venus Williams’ recent post celebrating her historic feat. Macci wrote, “On fire!! ❤️🔥” in the comment section. Rick Macci has played a pivotal role in shaping the career of the Williams sisters. After watching Venus Williams play for the first time, Macci told her father Richard that she would be the Michael Jordan of tennis. Truly she has now become a legend of the sport. Even Rennae Stubbs has seen the Williams sisters very closely. She commented, “Omg and i was there !“. Share your thoughts on Venus Williams’ incredible journey.