Venus Williams Receives Wild-Card Entry For US Open Women's Doubles, Will Team Up With....

Last Updated:August 27, 2025, 09:05 IST

Alongside her seven Grand Slam singles titles, Venus Williams has also 14 major titles in women's doubles.

Venus Williams was earlier eliminated in the first round of women's singles event. (AP Photo)

Venus Williams will participate in women’s doubles at the U.S. Open after receiving a wild-card entry with 2021 singles runner-up Leylah Fernandez on Tuesday. At 45 years old, Williams is competing in her first Grand Slam tournament in two years, having returned to professional tennis in July following a 16-month hiatus.

Last week, she played in mixed doubles and then in singles on Monday night, both times through wild-card invitations from the U.S. Tennis Association.

Although Williams was eliminated in the first round on both occasions, she expressed joy in returning to the court after dealing with injuries and illness. She underwent surgery for uterine fibroids last year and, after her three-set singles match against 11th-seeded Karolina Muchova on Monday, said she was relieved to be pain-free.

She reflected on her return, highlighting the importance of playing healthily and the mental impact of playing while unhealthy. It was a freeing experience for her to be back on the court without pain.

Williams, the oldest person to play singles at the U.S. Open since 1981, received a warm reception from the crowd, who enthusiastically cheered her on with camera phones raised and chants of “Let’s go, Venus!" culminating in a standing ovation as she left the Arthur Ashe Stadium court.

Alongside her seven Grand Slam singles titles, Williams has 14 major titles in women’s doubles, all won with her younger sister Serena. Two of these titles were secured in New York, in 1999 and 2009.

The Williams sisters last played together at the U.S. Open in 2022, the year Serena played her final singles match there.

Williams and Fernandez, a 22-year-old from Canada, will face the sixth-seeded pair of Lyudmyla Kichenok from Ukraine and Ellen Perez from Australia in the first round.

Fernandez lost to Emma Raducanu in the U.S. Open singles final four years ago.

Until the hard-court tournament in Washington last month, Williams had not played an official match since the Miami Open in March 2024. She accepted a wild card for the Washington tournament, participating in both singles and doubles events and winning one match in each category.

This U.S. Open marks her first major tournament since competing at Flushing Meadows in 2023.

Feroz Khan

Feroz Khan has been covering sports for over 12 years now and is currently working with Network18 as Principal Correspondent. He embarked on his journey in 2011 and has since acquired vast experience in digital...Read More

Feroz Khan has been covering sports for over 12 years now and is currently working with Network18 as Principal Correspondent. He embarked on his journey in 2011 and has since acquired vast experience in digital...

Read More

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First Published:

August 27, 2025, 09:05 IST

News sports Venus Williams Receives Wild-Card Entry For US Open Women's Doubles, Will Team Up With....

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