Venus Williams will make her return to Grand Slam tennis on the US Open after a two-year absence, receiving a wild-card invitation Wednesday to compete in singles at Flushing Meadows at age 45.
The American would be the oldest entrant in singles on the event since Renée Richards was 47 in 1981, in keeping with the Worldwide Tennis Federation.
Williams already had been given a wild-card entry by the U.S. Tennis Affiliation for subsequent week’s combined doubles competitors. Singles matches start in New York on Aug. 24.
Editor’s Picks
1 Associated
She has gained seven main singles championships — together with on the US Open in 2000 and 2001 — together with one other 14 in girls’s doubles, all gained together with her youthful sister, Serena, plus two in combined doubles. Serena Williams retired with 23 Slam singles trophies after taking part in on the 2022 US Open.
The older Williams final participated in a Grand Slam event on the 2023 US Open, dropping within the first spherical. She hasn’t gained a singles match there since 2019.
Williams returned to aggressive tennis in July after being away from the game for greater than a yr. She gained one match on the DC Open earlier than being knocked out within the first spherical in Cincinnati final week.
“Coming off of this match, I really feel superb,” Williams mentioned after the Cincinnati loss. “In order that signifies that on this subsequent interval [ahead of the US Open] I will not have to repair accidents. Now I can work on energy and velocity as a substitute of making an attempt to only be certain I am not damage going into the event.”
Final yr, Williams had surgical procedure to take away uterine fibroids and missed many of the season. In Washington, she turned the oldest girl to win a tour-level singles match since Martina Navratilova was 47 at Wimbledon in 2004; Williams additionally gained a doubles match on the DC Open.
Within the course of, Williams drew a ton of consideration for her tennis, sure, but in addition for letting the world know she is engaged to Italian actor Andrea Preti and for her half-joking feedback about needing to get again on court docket to get lined by medical insurance.
In New York, Williams will play within the Aug. 19-20 combined doubles event with Reilly Opelka, a 27-year-old American who was ranked within the high 20.
Different girls getting singles wild playing cards for the US Open are People Clervie Ngounoue, Julieta Pareja, Caty McNally, Valerie Glozman and Alyssa Ahn, plus France’s Caroline Garcia — who shall be taking part in in her final Grand Slam event earlier than retirement — and Australia’s Talia Gibson.
Males’s wild playing cards went to People Brandon Holt, Nishesh Basavareddy, Tristan Boyer, Emilio Nava, Stefan Dostanic and Darwin Blanch in addition to France’s Valentin Royer and Australia’s Tristan Schoolkate.
The Related Press contributed to this report.
