Venus Williams has been granted a wild card into the singles main draw of the US Open, giving the 46-year-old a place in the tournament that begins on Sunday, 30 August 2026, even though she has not won a singles match all season. One wild-card spot remains for the women's draw, leaving open the possibility that her sister Serena could also be added before the tournament starts.
Sloane Stephens, the 2017 champion, has likewise been handed direct entry into the main draw alongside Venus. The two women's slots that have already been confirmed sit alongside one that is still to be decided, while wild cards for the women's doubles draw have not yet been announced.
How significant is this wild card given Venus's history at the tournament?
Venus first competed in New York 29 years ago, reaching the final on her singles debut in 1997, and went on to win two of her seven Grand Slam singles titles at Flushing Meadows, in 2000 and 2001. She beat Serena in the 2001 final to defend the title she had won the previous year, two months after claiming her first major at Wimbledon - the opening chapter in what became nine Grand Slam finals contested between the two sisters.
In 2011 Williams was diagnosed with Sjogren's syndrome, an incurable autoimmune condition that causes pain, numbness and fatigue. She spoke in 2025 about the additional toll taken by painful fibroids, abnormal growths in the uterus, on her day-to-day life.
What is Venus's recent singles form heading into New York?
Venus has played singles only sporadically on the WTA Tour over the past four years and has lost all 10 of her matches in 2026, extending a winless run to 13 consecutive matches. Her most recent singles victory came in Washington in July 2025, and she has featured in just one Grand Slam singles match this year, a first-round defeat to Serbia's Olga Danilovic at the Australian Open. She did not enter the singles draw at Wimbledon and has not won a singles match at a major since reaching the second round at Wimbledon in 2021.
She has fared better in doubles, reaching the quarter-finals in New York last year with Canada's Leylah Fernandez, and became the oldest US Open singles player in 44 years when she competed at last year's tournament, losing in three sets to ninth seed Karolina Muchova. Afterwards she gave an emotional news conference in which she said it was
nice to be free
Venus and Serena reunited on court at the Cincinnati Open on Tuesday, losing a three-set thriller in doubles in front of packed stands - their first doubles match together since 2022, a comeback step that had been confirmed via a wild card into the Cincinnati draw earlier this month. Serena, a 23-time Grand Slam singles champion, had appeared to be closing out her career in New York in 2022 before returning first in doubles at Queen's in June and then receiving the final Wimbledon women's singles wild card, describing her comeback as
evolving away
from the sport for four years beforehand. The sisters had been due to play doubles together at Wimbledon but withdrew after Serena, 44, injured her knee during her first-round singles loss to Maya Joint.
What other wild cards has Venus picked up this season?
According to Global Tennis News, Venus was also given a main-draw wild card for the National Bank Open in Toronto, adding another hard-court warm-up event to her schedule before New York. She is separately confirmed for the US Open mixed doubles competition partnering Reilly Opelka, according to ESPN.
How is the rest of the US Open field being decided this year?
The women's singles main-draw wild card tied to the tournament's annual qualifying series, the US Open Wild Card Challenge, concluded on 9 August 2026 with Carol Young Suh Lee earning the spot, according to the USTA. Venus was not part of that challenge because the automatic berth is reserved for the top American by ranking points accrued at designated hard-court events, according to Global Tennis News.
This year's mixed doubles competition has also been overhauled, with six teams entered by combined singles ranking, eight wild-card pairings and two places determined through qualifying, according to ESPN. Serena had not been entered into the broader hard-court swing before Cincinnati, leaving her New York plans uncertain, per Global Tennis News.
What is happening in the men's draw?
France's Gael Monfils has been awarded a wild card for what will be the final Grand Slam appearance of his career; the 39-year-old, who reached the New York semi-finals in 2016, is retiring at the end of the season. One men's singles wild card remains outstanding and could go to 2016 champion Stan Wawrinka, who is also ending his playing career this year.
What happens next?
The mixed doubles qualifying stage is scheduled for 24 August 2026, according to a report from The Athletic, before the singles main draw opens on 30 August 2026. Organisers have yet to confirm the final women's singles wild card, the women's doubles wild cards, or whether Serena will feature in singles in New York.
- Venus Williams, 46, receives a US Open singles wild card despite going 0-10 in singles this season.
- Sloane Stephens also gains direct main-draw entry; one women's wild-card spot remains open.
- Venus additionally holds wild cards for Toronto's National Bank Open and US Open mixed doubles with Reilly Opelka.
- Carol Young Suh Lee earned the women's automatic wild card via the US Open Wild Card Challenge on 9 August 2026.
- The US Open main draw begins 30 August 2026; mixed doubles qualifying runs 24 August 2026.
