Venus Williams‘ fiancé, Andrea Preti, has been making headlines this week at the Citi Open following the 14-time Grand Slam winner’s Round of 32 win over Peyton Stearns on Tuesday.
While Williams, who notably likes to keep her personal life private, hadn’t spoken publicly about the relationship in the past, she gushed over Preti following Tuesday’s win, revealing he encouraged her to keep playing tennis as she trained for a comeback.
Now, as the WTA legend prepares to face off with Magdalena Frech in the Round of 16 on Thursday, here are five fast facts you need to know about her fiancé, Andrea Preti.
#1: He Was Previously Linked To Another Pro Tennis Player
Before Andrea Preti started dating Venus Williams in 2024, he was previously linked to Italian tennis player Susanna Giovanardi.
According to WTATennis.com, Giovanardi posted a 20-36 record throughout her pro career in singles and a 4-16 record in doubles, reaching a career high of 1,256 in doubles back in 2017.
The two were notably seen together at the premiere of Challengers in 2024, however, neither appeared in the film.
Although it doesn’t appear that Giovanardi plays professionally anymore, her Instagram features tons of photos and videos of her working on her game.
#2: He Got His Start As An Actor in TV Commercials
While Andrea Preti is best-known for his role in One More Day, a film he wrote, directed, and starred in, according to Tennis365, his acting career began with a series of TV commercials after studying at the Susan Batson Academy in New York.
Since then, he’s appeared in Italian films such as Love Pret-a-porte, My Beloved Enemy, Detective per caso, and Girls to Buy, while also appearing in three episodes of Un Professore, a popular TV show.
#3: He’s A Former Model
Before diving into the world of acting and directing, Venus Williams’ fiancé worked as a model. According to Merca20, Preti got his start in the fashion industry at a young age.
Throughout his career as a model, Preti has worked with brands like Tommy Hilfiger (as seen below), John Richmond, Moncler, Cosmic Crisp, Bugatti Fashion, and more.
While his most recent film credit on IMDb is from 2023, Preti continues to actively model, with his Instagram notably filled with modeling photos for high-profile brands.
#4: He Was Born in Copenhagen
Although Andrea Preti is known for his work in Italian shows and films, he was actually born in Copenhagen, Denmark.
According to Biography Kind, Venus Williams’ fiancé was born to a Danish mom and an Italian father. Because of that, he split time between the two countries as a kid before then moving to the US to attend the Susan Batson Academy in New York, as mentioned previously.
After finishing up his studies, Preti settled in Italy, where he began his career acting in commercials.
#5: Tuesday’s Win Was the First Time He Saw Venus Williams Play Professionally
As Venus Williams revealed following her big win over Peyton Stearns on Tuesday, which made her the second-oldest player in WTA history to record a win in singles, Preti had never seen her play professionally.
During her on-court interview she explained:
“There were so many times where I just wanted to coast and kind of chill. Do you know how hard it is to play tennis? You guys don’t know how much work goes into this, like it’s 9 to 5 except you’re running the whole time. Lifting weights and just like dying and then you repeat it the next day. So he encouraged me to get through this and it’s wonderful to be here. He’s never seen me play.”
Prior to her win over Stearns on Tuesday, Williams had lost four straight matches going back to 2023, with her most recent win being a Round of 64 win over Veronika Kudermetova in August of 2023 at the Cincinnati Open.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Venus Williams’ Fiancé, Andrea Preti: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know appeared first on Heavy Sports.