Venus Williams Earns Wild-Card Bid for 25th U.S. Open

The American tennis star will play in the mixed doubles competition.

Venus Williams waves to the crowd after winning a match at the Citi Open, her return to tennis after a year away from the court. / Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Venus Williams will be competing in her 25th U.S. Open next month at Flushing Meadows after she earned a wild-card entry for mixed doubles. She made her U.S. Open debut back in 1997.

There are 16 mixed doubles teams competing in the final major of the tennis season in New York. The top players in the world, both men's and women's, will be competing for $1 million. Williams will be partnered up with fellow American Reilly Opelka. Eight of the duos, including Williams-Opelka, earned wild-card bids.

Williams is coming off her return to tennis after over a year when she participated in the Citi Open in Washington D.C. last week. The 45-year-old notched her first win since 2023 in the first round. Her status for the U.S. Open was up in the air after her return, and her entering the singles draw is still undetermined. She could get a wild-card entry for singles as well.

Williams has won two mixed doubles major titles, along with seven singles titles and 14 doubles titles (all won with sister Serena Williams).

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