The two-time champion will return to New York at 46, extending one of the most enduring careers in professional tennis.
NEW YORK, UNITED STATES | 18 AUGUST 2026
Venus Williams has received a wild-card entry into the women’s singles draw at the 2026 US Open. The former world No. 1 won the tournament in 2000 and 2001 and holds seven Grand Slam singles titles. At 46, she will become the oldest women’s singles entrant at the event since Renée Richards competed at 47 in 1981.
Williams also received an invitation in 2025, when she returned to the New York major after a two-year absence but lost in the opening round. Her latest season has produced limited singles success, with the American currently ranked outside the leading positions on the WTA Tour. Nevertheless, her historical connection to the tournament and international prominence continue to make her one of tennis’s most recognizable figures.
The announcement follows her doubles reunion with Serena Williams at the Cincinnati Open, where the sisters competed together for the first time since the 2022 US Open. They lost a close opening-round match to Marta Kostyuk and Peyton Stearns after forcing a decisive match tiebreak. Together, Venus and Serena have won 14 Grand Slam women’s doubles titles and three Olympic doubles gold medals.
Former US Open champion Sloane Stephens also received a women’s singles wild card as she continues her recovery from a foot injury. French veteran Gaël Monfils, who plans to retire at the end of the season, was granted an invitation to the men’s draw. One women’s wild-card position remains unannounced, creating further anticipation around the final composition of the tournament.
Más allá de la noticia, el patrón.
Beyond the news, the pattern.