Venus Williams is set to make a historic return to the US Open later this month. The four-time Olympic champion received a wildcard to the tournament in New York.
At 45 years of age, Williams will be the oldest player to feature in the singles event at the tournament since Renée Richards was 47 in 1981.
The American icon returns to Flushing Meadows after two years, having lost in the opening round to Greet Minnen of Belgium in 2023.
It will be 577th-ranked Williams’ first appearance at the American grand slam.
The two-time U.S. Open champion recently returned to the WTA tour after a 16-month hiatus, with an opening-round win at the DC Open. That victory made Williams the oldest player to claim a WTA Tour-level win in 21 years.
Williams is one of the eight wildcard entrants at US Open 2025. The others are Americans Clervie Ngounoue, Julieta Pareja, Caty McNally, Valerie Glozman and Alyssa Ahn, France’s Caroline Garcia, and Australia’s Talia Gibson.
Williams already had been given a wild-card entry by the U.S. Tennis Association for next week’s mixed doubles competition. Singles matches begin in New York on Aug. 24.
In New York, Williams will play in the Aug. 19-20 mixed doubles tournament with Reilly Opelka, a 27-year-old American who used to be ranked in the top 20.
In addition to her two U.S. Open wins, Williams won five Wimbledon titles. At the Olympic Games, she took the singles title at Sydney 2000, and won the doubles gold medals there as well with sister Serena. He further added further Olympic titles at Beijing 2008 and London 2012. With Rajeev Ram, she claimed mixed doubles silver at Rio 2016.
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Venus Williams’ career highlights
| Category | Achievements |
|---|---|
| Grand Slam Singles Titles | 7 Titles: • Wimbledon – 2000, 2001, 2005, 2007, 2008 • US Open – 2000, 2001 |
| Grand Slam Singles Finals | 16 (7 titles, 9 runner-ups) |
| Grand Slam Doubles Titles | 14 Titles (all with Serena Williams) – Career Grand Slam in Doubles |
| Olympic Medals | 5 Total: • Gold – Singles (2000), Doubles (2000, 2008, 2012) • Silver – Mixed Doubles (2016) |
| WTA Singles Titles | 49 Titles |
| WTA Doubles Titles | 22 Titles |
| Career-High Singles Rank | No. 1 (February 25, 2002) – First African-American woman to achieve this in Open Era |
| Career-High Doubles Rank | No. 1 (June 7, 2010) |
| Turned Pro | 1994 |
| Longevity | Over 30 years on tour – still active as of 2025 |
