Venus Williams Returns to US Open at Age 45 After Two-Year Hiatus

NEW YORK (AP) — Venus Williams is set to make her return to Grand Slam tennis at the U.S. Open after a two-year absence, receiving a wild-card invitation on Wednesday to compete in singles at age 45. This marks her first singles appearance at the tournament since 2023.

According to the International Tennis Federation, Williams will be the oldest player to compete in singles at the U.S. Open since Renée Richards, who was 47 in 1981. Williams has also been granted a wild-card entry for the mixed doubles competition, which starts next week.

Williams is a seven-time major singles champion, including U.S. Open titles in 2000 and 2001. She has not won a singles match at the U.S. Open since 2019 and lost in the first round during her last appearance in 2023.

Her most recent competitive outing was at the DC Open, where she returned to the court for the first time in 16 months. Williams won one match before being eliminated in the first round of the Cincinnati Open.

“Coming off of this match, I feel amazing,” Williams said after her Cincinnati defeat. “I can work on power and speed instead of just making sure I’m not hurt going into the tournament.”

Williams underwent surgery to remove uterine fibroids last year and has spent the past season recovering. In July, she became the oldest woman to win a tour-level singles match since Martina Navratilova, who was 47 when she won at Wimbledon in 2004.

Amidst her comeback, Williams has also drawn attention for her engagement to Italian actor Andrea Preti and her humorous comments about needing to return to tennis for health insurance coverage.

In New York, Williams will play mixed doubles with Reilly Opelka, a 27-year-old American and former top 20 player. Other women receiving singles wild cards for the U.S. Open include Americans Clervie Ngounoue, Julieta Pareja, Caty McNally, Valerie Glozman, and Alyssa Ahn, along with France’s Caroline Garcia who plans to retire after this tournament.

The singles matches will begin on August 24 at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, with last year’s champions Aryna Sabalenka and Jannik Sinner defending their titles.