In Pictures: Venus Williams holds actor-director Andrea Preti's hand as the duo enjoys summer outing in New York

Venus Williams has been enjoying a wonderful summer, recently spotted holding hands with Andrea Preti during a stroll around New York. It follows their boating ride together just a week earlier.

Preti, a Danish-born former model from Italy, pursued his passion for acting after studying at the Susan Batson Academy in NYC. He later expanded his career to include directing. Some of his notable acting roles are in the Italian television series 'A Professor' and the film 'One More Day.'

Preti and Williams have been spending a lot of time together lately, with their latest outing featuring them holding hands and walking together in New York City. The actor-director wore a black T-shirt and grey sweatpants, while the seven-time Grand Slam champion sported a white tank top and green shorts, carrying a jacket of the same color.

A week ago, the duo was seen relaxing on a boat and dining against the breathtaking seaside backdrop of Nerano on the Amalfi Coast in Italy.

You can see the pictures below:

Venus Williams is currently on a lengthy hiatus from tennis. The American was last seen competing at the Miami Open in March, losing to Diana Shnaider in the first round.

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Venus Williams: "I've had a single life for a long time and I think it's really easy to get stuck"

Venus Williams pictured at the 2019 China Open (Source: Getty)

In an October 2022 interview with Glamour UK, Venus Williams spoke candidly about her thoughts on being in a relationship. She revealed that she had been single for some time and occasionally felt "stuck," a challenge she was working through with a great deal of self-reflection.

"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," she said.

"That's probably something I'm working on now and it makes you think about yourself and what you want and how to behave. It's definitely a lot of self-thought that goes into it," the American added.

Williams also mentioned that actively pursuing a relationship has never been her style. She said she prefers to go with the flow and stressed the importance of maintaining "balance" in one’s life.

"When life changes, you've got to know when to change. You can't hold on to either a relationship or the singleness," Venus Williams said.

"Balance is important and burnout is real; you have to find your balance and for me, that's about taking moments every day. [At] the end of the day, I have my two hours of quiet and nobody's there, no one's talking and it's just my moment," she added.