Venus Williams has received a wild card to play in the women’s singles at the 2026 US Open at the age of 46.
The seven-time grand slam champion featured in this year’s Australian Open as a wild card, losing to Olga Danilović in three sets.
That appearance in Melbourne followed her making history at the 2025 US Open, when she became the oldest woman to compete in the main draw of the singles in New York since the 47-year-old Renee Richards in 1981.
The then 45-year-old produced an admirable performance in the first round against 11th seed Karolina Muchova, but was beaten in three sets.
Now she will get the chance to claim her first win at Flushing Meadows in 2019 after receiving a discretionary wild card in to the main draw.
Among those joining the two-time US Open champion in the women’s singles as a wild card is Sloane Stephens, who won the title in 2017.
But it remains to be seen if sister Serena Williams will also compete in the singles in New York following her return to the grand slam arena at Wimbledon.
In announcing the wild cards, the US Tennis Association (USTA) left one spot as ‘to be announced’, which will likely increase talk around Serena featuring at Flushing Meadows for the first time since she seemingly bid farewell to the sport in 2022.
The 23-time major champion made her comeback at Queen’s Club in June in the doubles before featuring at the Berlin Tennis Open in the same event and then receiving a wild card into the singles and the doubles alongside Venus at Wimbledon.
Serena lost in three sets to Maya Joint on her singles return at the All England Club, before injury forced her to withdraw from the doubles.
Venus and Serena played doubles together for the first time in four years in Cincinnati on Monday, losing to Marta Kostyuk and Peyton Stearns in the first round of the doubles.
“Winning is obviously great,” said Serena after the match. “But I think in this position, [we’re] just having fun. I didn’t come out here to win this tournament. Obviously, I wanted to do the best I could do, but I think having fun and also just seeing how we are and how we feel out there.
“Being out there with the fans, too, is just really good, just to give them another opportunity to see us play, which is really cool.”
Fans will get to see them play again on the major circuit in New York. The question that is unanswered is whether Serena’s participation will be in the singles or doubles.
