Seven-time Grand Slam singles champion Venus Williams has been granted a wild card entry to the US Open main draw.
On Wednesday, the US Open broke the news, announcing that Williams and 15 others received spots in the main draw.
The eight ATP wild card entrants are as follows:
- Tristan Boyer – World No. 116
- Nishesh Basavareddy – World No. 109
- Brandon Holt – World No. 106
- Emilio Nava – World No. 105
- Stefan Dostanic – World No. 419
- Darwin Blanch – World No. 404
- Valentin Royer – World No. 104
- Tristan Schoolkate – World No. 97
The eight WTA wild card entrants are as follows:
- Venus Williams – Seven-time Grand Slam champ
- Clervie Ngounoue – World No. 211
- Julieta Pareja – World No. 341
- Caty McNally – World No. 104
- Valerie Glozman – World No. 890
- Alyssa Ahn – World No. 718
- Carolina Garcia – World No. 201
- Talia Gibson – World No. 107
Venus Williams Talks About 2025 US Open
Last month, Venus Williams made a triumphant return to the WTA tour after missing most of last season following surgery to remove uterine fibroids. In her opening match at the Mubadala Citi DC Open, Williams defeated fellow American Peyton Stearns, becoming the oldest player to win a tour-level match since Martina Navratilova in 2004.
Despite her impressive play against Stearns, Williams wound up losing to Magdalena Frech in the Round of 16, before then losing in the opening round of the Cincinnati Open last week.
Following her loss in Cincinnati, Williams explained to ESPN post-match that she felt great, and was looking forward to training hard for the US Open:
“Coming off of this match, I feel amazing. So that means that in this next period [ahead of the US Open] I won’t have to fix injuries. Now I can work on power and speed instead of trying to just make sure I’m not hurt going into the tournament.
“I think there were moments where I was working through the kinks, but I think there was never a moment where I didn’t go for it. I definitely see a lot of positives for today, and I think just coming back, not everything’s going to be perfect, but a lot of great things today.”
When Venus Williams takes the court in New York, the 45-year-old will become the oldest player to compete at the US Open since 1981.
Williams Teams Up With Reilly Opelka for New Mixed Doubles Event at US Open
In addition to Williams’ seven Grand Slam titles in singles competition, the American legend has also won 14 Grand Slams in doubles.
This year, Williams will be linking up with Reilly Opelka for the US Open’s new “reimagined’ mixed doubles event, which will primarily see singles players join forces for a new fan-focused event.
Eight teams were given direct entries based on combined singles rankings:
- Emma Navarro and Jannik Sinner
- Paula Badosa and Jack Draper
- Iga Swiatek and Casper Ruud
- Elena Rybakina and Taylor Fritz
- Amanda Anisimova and Holger Rune
- Belinda Bencic and Alexander Zverev
- Jessica Pegula and Tommy Paul
- Mirra Andreeva and Daniil Medvedev
Additionally, six teams, including Williams and Opelka, were given wild card entries:
- Emma Raducanu and Carlos Alcaraz
- Madison Keys and Frances Tiafoe
- Olga Danilovic and Novak Djokovic
- Taylor Townsend and Ben Shelton
- Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori
- Venus Williams and Reilly Opelka
The event will take place on Aug. 19 and Aug. 20, with first-round singles action then beginning on Sunday, Aug. 24.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Venus Williams Among 16 Wild Card Recipients at This Year’s US Open appeared first on Heavy Sports.