Venus Williams sent social media into overdrive recently when she was pictured wearing a large diamond ring on her left hand. But her publicist has now confirmed to HELLO! Online that the tennis champion, 37, is not engaged to boyfriend Nicholas Hammond. Over the past few weeks at the Australian Open, in which she finished in second place, the sporting ace's large sparkler has been hard to miss.
Venus has been pictured with a diamond ring
Rumours of Venus' romance with 25-year-old Nicholas first surfaced at the start of the year when he supported her at the Australian Open. According to the NY Daily Post, he is a "wealthy financier" and the heir to Walter Annenberg's TV Guide fortune. A source said: "He's a wealthy financier who goes between California and New York." The couple are reportedly "head over heels for each other". It's believed that Nicholas was Venus' date when her sister Serena Williams tied the knot with Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian in New Orleans, in November.
READ: Serena Williams reveals real reason for pulling out of the Australian Open
Prior to Nicholas, the sports star reportedly dated Cuban model Elio Pis, with the pair meeting in 2012 when he modelled for her EleVen fashion line. She was also in a serious relationship with golfer Hank Kuehne, who was pictured at her matches between 2007 and 2010. At the start of the year, Venus shared a poignant message with her Facebook followers, stating: "Hello from Sydney! I have such amazing memories here. Playing at White city in the 90's and of course the Olympics when I just turned 20. All these years later I'm blessed to still be playing! What a dream. My plan? To dream on!"