Venus Williams will walk out onto a US Open singles court for the 26th time in her career this month, an appearance count no woman has ever taken to the tournament before.

The USTA confirmed on 18 August that Venus, now 46, is among the players receiving one of the eight main-draw wildcards. At her age she is the oldest player entered in the singles draw since Renee Richards competed at 47 in 1981, ABC reported.

She first played the tournament in 1997, when she reached the final as a 17-year-old, and won back-to-back titles in 2000 and 2001.

The eighth wildcard is not accidentally empty

The USTA’s decision to reveal seven of the eight women’s wildcards, rather than the full list, is the most closely watched part of Tuesday’s announcement.

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Tennis Majors reported that the seventh confirmed name is 2017 champion Sloane Stephens, who has climbed from No. 1,098 to No. 240 this season after a seven-month injury layoff. The others are Carol Young Suh Lee, who won the US Open Wild Card Challenge, collegiate playoff winner Reese Brantmeier, USTA Girls’ 18s national champion Thea Frodin, and reciprocal picks Taylah Preston from Australia and Leolia Jeanjean from France.

The remaining spot is being kept in reserve for Serena Williams, 44, whose comeback began during the grass-court swing in June.

A career-long US Open win drought

Venus’s on-court form is a separate story from her presence in the draw. She has not won a main-draw match at the US Open since 2019, when she lost in the second round to Elina Svitolina, and she arrives on a 13-match losing streak, Yahoo Sports reported.

Her last Grand Slam singles match was a first-round loss at the Australian Open in January.

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She and Serena teamed up in doubles at the Cincinnati Open this month and lost in the first round, having previously planned a Wimbledon doubles run that was scrapped after Serena picked up a knee injury.

Now Serena has to decide

Qualifying starts on Monday and the main draw opens on 30 August, which gives Serena a matter of days to make up her mind. She has not played a US Open singles match since her farewell run in 2022, and a wildcard is the only realistic route back in.

If she takes it, the eighth line on the US Open’s wildcard list becomes the one every network wants. If she does not, the USTA will fill the spot with a lower-ranked American, and the sisters’ Cincinnati doubles cameo will be their last shared act of the summer.

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