Venus Williams will make her return to Grand Slam singles at the US Open after a two-year absence, having received a wildcard invitation Wednesday to compete at Flushing Meadows at age 45.
Williams will be the oldest singles entrant at the tournament since Renee Richards played there at 47 in 1981, according to the International Tennis Federation.
The seven-time major singles champion – including US Open titles in 2000 and 2001 – already had been given a wildcard for next week’s mixed doubles competition in New York. Singles matches begin 24 August.
Williams last played in a Grand Slam event at the 2023 US Open, losing in the first round. She has not won a singles match there since 2019. Her return to the tour came last month at the DC Open, her first match anywhere in 16 months. Asked then if it would be a one-off appearance, Williams replied: “I’m just here for now, and who knows? Maybe there’s more. … I definitely feel I’ll play well. I’m still the same player. I’m a big hitter. This is my brand.”
The comeback follows surgery last year to remove uterine fibroids, which sidelined her for most of the season. In Washington, she became the oldest woman to win a tour-level singles match since Martina Navratilova at Wimbledon in 2004. She also drew headlines for announcing her engagement to an Italian actor and joking that she needed to get back on court for the health insurance.
Williams, who has also won 14 women’s doubles titles with her sister Serena and two in mixed doubles, entered the Cincinnati Open via a wild card last week but lost in the first round of singles. In New York, she will play mixed doubles with American Reilly Opelka.
Other women’s singles wild cards went to Americans Clervie Ngounoue, Julieta Pareja, Caty McNally, Valerie Glozman and Alyssa Ahn; France’s Caroline Garcia, who will retire after the tournament; and Australia’s Talia Gibson.
Men’s wild cards went to Americans Brandon Holt, Nishesh Basavareddy, Tristan Boyer, Emilio Nava, Stefan Dostanic and Darwin Blanch; France’s Valentin Royer; and Australia’s Tristan Schoolkate.
