Venus Williams given US Open singles wildcard - will Serena join her?

Venus Williams has been given a wildcard for the US Open singles - and sister Serena could potentially still join her with one spot remaining.

Venus, 46, first played in New York 29 years ago and reached the final on her singles debut in 1997.

The American won two of her seven Grand Slam singles titles at Flushing Meadows in 2000 and 2001.

Venus and 2017 champion Sloane Stephens have been given direct entry into the main draw which begins on Sunday, 30 August.

Serena returned to tennis in June, four years after "evolving away" from the sport, and played in singles at Wimbledon.

The sisters were due to play doubles together at SW19 but withdrew after Serena, 44, injured her knee in her first-round loss to Maya Joint.

They made their return together at the Cincinnati Open on Tuesday, losing a thriller at the Cincinnati Open in three sets.

Wildcards for the women's doubles have yet to be announced, and there are three remaining places in the revamped mixed doubles competition that takes place from 24 August.

Elder sister Venus has played singles sporadically on the WTA Tour over the past four years but has lost all 10 of her matches this season and is winless in 13.

Her last singles win was in Washington in July 2025.

Venus did not play singles at Wimbledon and has played just one Grand Slam match this year - a first-round loss to Serbia's Olga Danilovic at the Australian Open.

Venus has fared better in doubles in recent years, reaching the quarter-finals in New York last year alongside Canada's Leylah Fernandez.

She has not won a singles match at a Grand Slam since Wimbledon in 2021, where she reached the second round.

However, the Williams sisters still draw huge crowds together or separately, with stands packed out in Cincinnati for their recent return.

Serena, a 23-time Grand Slam singles champion, played what was expected to be the last tournament of her career in New York in 2022.

However, she made her return first in doubles at Queen's in June before being given the final Wimbledon women's singles wildcard.

Venus won her first US Open singles title in 2000, two months after earning her maiden major at Wimbledon.

She beat Serena in the final a year later to defend her title - the first of nine major showpieces the sister would contest.

Venus became the oldest US Open singles player in 44 years when she played at the tournament last year.

She lost in three sets to ninth seed Karolina Muchova and gave an emotional news conference afterwards, saying it was "nice to be free".

In 2011, Williams was diagnosed with Sjogren's syndrome, an incurable autoimmune disease with symptoms including pain, numbness and fatigue.

She spoke in 2025 about the impact of painful fibroids - abnormal growths that develop in the uterus - on her daily life.

In the men's draw, France's Gael Monfils has been awarded a wildcard in the final Grand Slam of his career.

There is also one remaining wildcard for the men's singles, which could go to 2016 champion Stan Wawrinka.

The Swiss is also calling time on his career at the end of the year.

Venus may not have won a singles match for over a year, but she is at least appearing regularly - she has played singles and doubles in Washington, Toronto and Cincinnati in the last month alone.

Serena has some decisions to make.

The USTA appears to be holding a singles wildcard open for her, as the All England Club did ahead of Wimbledon.

But does she feel ready to play singles after such little preparation?

Serena's comeback has so far consisted of three doubles and one singles, while the match in Cincinnati was her first in seven weeks after her knee injury.

It seems likely we will see the sisters in the doubles, though - and Serena and Venus may not be the only ones interested in the spaces for next week's mixed doubles event.

Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz are back in training after knee and wrist injuries, but have not yet committed to playing in New York.

If they do feel ready to return to singles, then the mixed doubles tournament which precedes it may prove a nice way to ease back in.