Venus Williams Receives US Open Singles Wildcard at 46

Venus Williams has been awarded a wildcard into the women’s singles draw at the 2026 US Open, giving the 46-year-old American another appearance at a tournament where she has won two singles titles. BBC Sport reported that Williams and 2017 champion Sloane Stephens have received direct entry to the main draw, which begins on Sunday, August 30.

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Williams first competed in New York in 1997, reaching the final on her singles debut. She later won consecutive US Open titles in 2000 and 2001, beating her younger sister Serena in the second of those finals. Her 2026 entry comes 29 years after that first appearance at Flushing Meadows.

The wildcard arrives during a difficult singles season for Williams. According to the BBC report, she has lost all 10 of her singles matches in 2026 and is winless across her past 13. Her most recent singles victory came in Washington in July 2025, while her only Grand Slam singles match this year ended in a first-round defeat by Serbia’s Olga Danilovic at the Australian Open.

Williams has continued to compete more successfully in doubles. She reached the US Open women’s doubles quarter-finals last year with Canada’s Leylah Fernandez. Venus and Serena also returned to the court together at the Cincinnati Open on Tuesday, losing a three-set doubles match. They had been scheduled to play together at Wimbledon but withdrew after Serena injured her knee in a first-round singles loss to Maya Joint.

Serena’s status for New York remains unresolved. BBC Sport said one women’s singles wildcard remains available, while the women’s doubles wildcards have not yet been announced. Three places also remain in the revamped mixed doubles competition, which is scheduled to start on August 24. Serena returned to competition in June after four years away and played singles at Wimbledon.

The men’s wildcard list also includes France’s Gael Monfils, who plans to retire at the end of the season. The 39-year-old reached the US Open semi-finals in 2016. One men’s singles wildcard remains, and the BBC reported that it could go to 2016 champion Stan Wawrinka, who has likewise announced that he will end his career after this season.