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<\/p>\n Email Link<\/p>\n \n Venus Williams<\/a> is making her return to the US Open at 45 as a wild card for the singles main draw.\n <\/p>\n \n Williams\u2019 appearance later this month will make her the oldest singles entrant at Flushing Meadows since Renee Richards, who was 47 at the time of her participation in 1981, according to the International Tennis Federation.\n <\/p>\n \n The American former world No. 1 made her return to tennis with her first match in 16 months at the DC Open in July, where she claimed her first singles win in two years<\/a>.\n <\/p>\n \n With that win, Williams became the oldest player to win a singles match on the WTA Tour since Martina Navratilova won in the first round of Wimbledon in 2004 aged 47.\n <\/p>\n \n However, her bid for her first winning streak since 2019 ended with a 6-2, 6-2 loss to 24th-ranked Magdalena Frech<\/a> in the next round at the DC Open.\n <\/p>\n \n Over the course of her career, Williams won seven grand slam singles titles \u2013 two of them at the US Open \u2013 and 14 in doubles alongside younger sister Serena. She also holds two mixed doubles grand slam titles in 1998.\n <\/p>\n \n The tennis legend is currently ranked 654th<\/a> and was listed as inactive on the WTA website until last month.\n <\/p>\n \n Williams will also be participating in the tournament\u2019s mixed doubles competition, alongside fellow American Reilly Opelka.\n <\/p>\n \n Tournament organizers announced that this year\u2019s \u201creimagined\u201d mixed doubles will take place several days before the scheduled start of the tournament, which would allow top players to appear, attracting more fans and allowing broadcasters to spotlight the competition before main draw singles play begins on August 24.\n <\/p>\n \n And while the change has been welcomed by some players, others have argued that the new format would allow doubles specialists to be overlooked<\/a>, with defending champions Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori calling adjustments to the tournament \u201ca profound injustice.\u201d\n <\/p>\n \n Americans Clervie Ngounoue, Julieta Pareja, Caty McNally, Valerie Glozman and Alyssa Ahn will also receive<\/a> women\u2019s singles main draw wild cards for the tournament, which begins next Monday, alongside France\u2019s Caroline Garcia and Australia\u2019s Talia Gibson.\n <\/p>\n
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