Venus Williams and Andrea Preti spark rumors in Italy with a little PDA

Venus Williams and Andrea Preti have fans wondering if they've found a romantic connection after they enjoyed each other's company in Italy. On Monday, July 29, the athlete and actor soaked up the sun aboard a boat with friends and appeared to share a connection. 

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They were aboard the boat with friends, but Preti and Williams had some alone time, looking deep into conversation. Preti wore an open white collared shirt that showed off his abs, while the tennis professional wore a beautiful gold dress. 

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At one point, Preti leaned in close to Venus, holding her waist.

They went on to enjoy a fine dining experience, sitting next to each other at the table. The seven-time Grand Slam winner had a huge smile as she chatted with the 36-year-old. 

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The PDA didn't stop with the waist grab - at the table, the One More Day actor stood behind her with his hands on her shoulders. 

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Their dating history

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Preti has a history of dating tennis players and was romantically involved with Flavia Pennetta eleven years ago. He was Pennetta's boyfriend before she married tennis player Fabio Fognini, with whom she now has three children. His last relationship was with Italian actress Claudia Gerini, and they dated for two years before splitting in 2018. 

As for Venus, the 44-year-old has been single for a few years following her split from Nicholas Hammond. The former couple dated for two years, 2017-2019. 

She sparked rumors with fellow tennis professional Reilly Opelka in 2021 but has always denied dating rumors. That year, on Instagram, Venus responded directly to fans asking if they were dating, quipping, “No @ReillyOpelka shot me down." 

Of course, Venus' fans want her to find the same love her sister Serena Wiliams did with Alexis Ohanian. But the tennis professional is in no rush to change her life. At least three years ago. In September 2021, she told Cosmopolitan she's not desperate to settle down, “I have a lot of friends who don’t believe me when I say that I like my life and I don’t want to change it for any reason. I’m not desperate, and they don’t believe me." 

If Venus does find the perfect partner to settle down with, we probably won't see her going big with her wedding. In a December 2022 interview with coach Eric Hechtman, "If I ever got married it would be at the courthouse, I don’t have the courage." “I can’t even explain why I just know I don’t like them," she said.