Perhaps not surprisingly, 45-year-old Venus Williams views age as just a number.

The seven-time grand slam champion will this month become the oldest woman to feature in the main draw of the Australian Open, after being granted a wildcard.

Williams, who hasn’t played outside North America since 2023 having battled health and injury problems, is also competing in the Hobart International starting Monday.

Ranked 582, she played Auckland last week and took a set off world No.52 Magda Linette in an opening-round loss.

“(I’m) hitting the ball so well. Had a lot of opportunities to take control of that match and let some slide away,” Williams said in Hobart on Sunday.

“It’s great to be in those positions to actually cross the line. I can’t expect to be perfect … as much as I want to be.”

Williams has played more than 1000 top-level singles matches since turning professional in 1994 as a 14-year-old and spent 11 weeks at world No.1.

Williams and younger sister Serena, the winner of 23 grand slam singles titles including seven Australian Opens, have been credited with redefining women’s tennis and attracting new audiences.

The veteran now comes up against players more than half her age who have grown up with modern string and racquet technology.

“I feel like Serena and I were part of a big change in women’s tennis. Over time too the equipment has changed,” Williams said.

“I’ve had to adjust my game based on (things like) new strings. I think I’m a student of the game, I like to watch and learn from other players.

“(But) when you walk on the court, I’m so focused on what I want to accomplish. Winning and losing knows no age.”

Williams hasn’t played in Melbourne, where she made the final in 2003 and 2017, for five years and will break the age record set by 44-year-old Kimiko Date in 2015.

She was coy on whether it would be the last time people would see her on Australian soil.

“I don’t know and even if I did know I wouldn’t say. Right now I’m focused on the moment,” she said.

In her first visit to Tasmania, wildcard Williams will meet fellow veteran, 38-year-old German world No.43 Tatjana Maria, in the Hobart first round.

“When I first got here … in the air you could smell eucalyptus and I was like ‘this is my place’. I was like, we’ll get my passport changed,” she joked.

She said she was hoping to draw on the rage of Serena, who lost in the quarter-finals in Hobart in 2007 before going on to win her third Australian Open title.

“I remember how upset she was, I’ll never forget that,” Williams said.

“She was able to channel all that … to being able to play well in the Australian.”

Williams returned to the tour in July less than a year after having surgery for uterine fibroids and said her motivation remained high.

“It’s a beautiful sport. I love what I do and it’s a blessing and honour to keep doing it,” she said.

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Prime Minister, James Marape has issued a blunt ultimatum to communities across the country to stop protecting criminals or face the full weight of the law.

As police intensify “Operation Kumul 23” to scrub illegal firearms from the country’s most volatile regions, the Prime Minister made it clear that the era of hiding hired gunmen behind village walls must end. The government’s stance, he says, is now one of absolute zero tolerance.

The recent surge in police activity, specifically in the Tsak Valley of Wapenamenda in Enga Province, isn’t a random sweep.

According to Marape, it is a surgical strike based on deep intelligence that follows not just the gunmen, but the money.

“The operation at Tsak Valley, Wapenamenda, was a targeted operation,” Prime Minister Marape said.

“Police were acting on intelligence relating to known hired gunmen operating within the province.”

The Prime Minister revealed that authorities have successfully mapped out the networks fueling tribal warfare, including those who bankroll the violence from the shadows.

“I want to inform Enga Province, Southern Highlands, Hela and communities right across the country that police have assembled sufficient intelligence, including financial trails, on gunmen and those sponsoring these fights,” he warned.

“Police will not be recalled. Police will remain at work.”

A central theme of the Prime Minister’s address was the protection of the innocent. He expressed frustration with criminals who use their own families and neighbours as “human shields” to evade capture, often leading to tragic outcomes during confrontations.

“If you are a criminal and police come for you, surrender,” Marape urged.

“Do not fight back. Do not use innocent people as shields, because when that happens, innocent lives are put at risk.”

To the law-abiding citizens in these “hotspot” areas, the Prime Minister’s message was one of both reassurance and a plea for calm:

“If police come to your community, do not be hostile. Do not fight back. Cooperate. If you are innocent, show that you are unarmed and pose no threat. Police are not there to target innocent people.”

For those who continue to harbor fugitives or maintain illegal arsenals, the consequences are now permanent. Under current laws, the illegal possession of a firearm carries a sentence of life imprisonment.

Marape emphasized that the burden of safety rests on the community’s willingness to reject the culture of violence. He pledged that while the State would take responsibility if innocent people were harmed during operations, the “firm, relentless enforcement” would not waver.

“Our country is tired of criminals hiding behind communities and emerging to cause violence,” the Prime Minister concluded.

“Supporting the police means safer families, safer communities, safer districts and safer provinces.”