US Open Wild Card: At 45, Venus Williams becomes oldest singles entrant in 44 years | Tennis News

Venus Williams (Getty Images)

Venus Williams will make a historic return to Grand Slam tennis later this month after receiving a singles wild-card invitation for the US Open on the age of 45 — making her the oldest singles entrant on the match in 44 years. The final participant older than Williams to compete in singles at Flushing Meadows was Renee Richards, who was 47 in 1981, in keeping with the International Tennis Federation.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!The seven-time main singles champion, who lifted the US Open trophy in 2000 and 2001, final performed a singles match on the occasion in 2023, exiting in the primary spherical. She has not gained a singles match there since 2019. Williams had already been granted a wild card for subsequent week’s blended doubles occasion alongside fellow American Reilly Opelka, with singles play starting on August 24 in New York.

Her comeback follows a difficult stretch that included surgical procedure to take away uterine fibroids and prolonged spells away from the tour. Williams returned in July on the DC Open for her first match in 16 months, turning into the oldest girl to win a tour-level singles match since Martina Navratilova at Wimbledon 2004. “There is no doubt I can play tennis,” Williams mentioned then. “I’m still the same player. I’m a big hitter. This is my brand.”
Williams additionally entered the Cincinnati Open through a wild card final week, although she bowed out in the opening spherical.The U.S. Tennis Association additionally introduced wild playing cards for American gamers Clervie Ngounoue, Julieta Pareja, Caty McNally, Valerie Glozman, and Alyssa Ahn; France’s Caroline Garcia, set for her remaining Grand Slam; and Australia’s Talia Gibson.For the boys, wild playing cards went to Americans Brandon Holt, Nishesh Basavareddy, Tristan Boyer, Emilio Nava, Stefan Dostanic, Darwin Blanch, France’s Valentin Royer, and Australia’s Tristan Schoolkate.