Staff Reporter.
Two-time US Open singles champion Venus Williams has received a wildcard entry into this year’s tournament, organisers said on Wednesday.
Williams, 45, became the oldest player to win a WTA singles match since 2004 when she beat Peyton Stearns at last month’s Washington Open after a 16-month absence from competitive tennis.
She last played in the US Open singles main draw in 2023, losing in the first round to Belgian Greet Minnen.
The seven-time Grand Slam winner is also playing in the tournament’s new-look mixed doubles tournament with compatriot Reilly Opelka.
Other women’s singles wildcards included France’s Caroline Garcia, in what will likely be the 2022 semifinalist’s last appearance at Flushing Meadows.
The 2022 WTA Finals winner announced plans to retire from the sport earlier this year.
Meanwhile Spain’s Paula Badosa, ranked 12th in the world, has withdrawn from the US Open.
The 27-year-old Spaniard, who has battled back issues similar to those that kept her from the 2023 US Open, will miss the Flushing Meadows fortnight for the second time in three seasons after making a US Open last-eight run in 2024.