Venus Williams will extend her remarkable career at the US Open after being awarded a doubles wildcard alongside Canada’s Leylah Fernandez.
The 45-year-old returned to her home Grand Slam for a record 25th appearance earlier this week but bowed out of the singles in a spirited first-round loss to Czech 11th seed Karolina Muchova.
She will now team up with Fernandez, 22, to face sixth seeds Lyudmyla Kichenok of Ukraine and Australia’s Ellen Perez in the opening round.
Williams is no stranger to doubles success in New York, having lifted the title twice before — in 1999 and 2009 — with her younger sister Serena.
Serena took to social media to hail her sibling, describing her as an inspiration defined by “strength, courage, determination, class, and perseverance.”
Earlier this season, Williams was officially listed as inactive after more than a year away from competition.
Her comeback began at the Washington Open in July, where she defeated world number 35 Peyton Stearns.
Although she lost early in Cincinnati, she was handed a singles wildcard for the US Open, where she is a two-time champion.
Following her three-set defeat to Muchova, Williams reflected on the challenges she has overcome, including battling Sjogren’s syndrome — an incurable autoimmune disease — and painful uterine fibroids, both of which have impacted her career.
Her new partner Fernandez, seeded 31st in the singles, began her US Open campaign strongly with a 6-2, 6-1 win over compatriot Rebecca Marino.
The Canadian is best remembered for her run to the 2021 US Open final, where she finished runner-up to Emma Raducanu.
