Venus Williams is set to return to Grand Slam tennis at the U.S. Open after a two-year break, receiving a wild-card entry to compete in singles at Flushing Meadows at age 45. This makes her the oldest singles competitor in the tournament since Renee Richards, who was 47 in 1981, according to the International Tennis Federation.
Williams had already been granted a wild-card spot for the mixed doubles competition by the U.S. Tennis Association. Singles matches will begin on August 24 in New York.
The American tennis star holds seven major singles titles, including two U.S. Open wins in 2000 and 2001, as well as 14 women’s doubles championships—all won alongside her younger sister Serena Williams—and two mixed doubles titles. Serena retired after the 2022 U.S. Open, finishing her career with 23 Grand Slam singles trophies.
Venus last played in a Grand Slam at the 2023 U.S. Open, where she lost in the first round, and she hasn’t won a singles match there since 2019. When she returned to the tour last month at the DC Open—her first match in 16 months—she expressed uncertainty about her future plans but emphasized her readiness and confidence. “I definitely feel I’ll play well. I’m still the same player. I’m a big hitter. I hit big. This is my brand,” she said.
After surgery last year to remove uterine fibroids, she missed most of the season. In July, she made a strong comeback at the Miami Open, becoming the oldest woman to win a tour-level singles match since Martina Navratilova in 2004. She also won a doubles match at the DC Open.
Williams attracted significant attention not only for her tennis but also for revealing her engagement to an Italian actor and her humorous comments about returning to the court partly for health insurance coverage.
Mark Ein, chairman of the Washington hard-court tournament, said, “I love Venus. We’re friends. I didn’t really know this was something she was still wanting to do. But it was a wonderful surprise.”
Williams also received a wild card to the Cincinnati Open last week but lost in the first round.
At the U.S. Open, she will compete in the mixed doubles on August 19-20 with Reilly Opelka, a 27-year-old American former top-20 player.
Other women receiving singles wild cards include Americans Clervie Ngounoue, Julieta Pareja, Caty McNally, Valerie Glozman, and Alyssa Ahn, as well as France’s Caroline Garcia—who plans to retire after this Grand Slam—and Australia’s Talia Gibson.
Men’s wild cards were awarded to Americans Brandon Holt, Nishesh Basavareddy, Tristan Boyer, Emilio Nava, Stefan Dostanic, and Darwin Blanch, along with France’s Valentin Royer and Australia’s Tristan Schoolkate.
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