Tennis legend Venus Williams has been awarded a wild card entry into the mixed doubles event at this year’s US Open, teaming up with compatriot Reilly Opelka. The announcement marks another step in Williams’ return to competitive tennis after more than a year away from the WTA Tour.
The 45-year-old seven-time Grand Slam singles champion made her comeback last week at the DC Open, where she secured wins in both singles and doubles — her first competitive appearances since the 2023 Miami Open.
Williams will also feature as a wild card entry at next month’s Cincinnati Open and may yet seek a singles wild card for the US Open. The list of wild cards for the singles draw is expected to be confirmed in the next fortnight.
This year’s US Open mixed doubles event, taking place from 19–20 August, has undergone a revamp, and the winning pair will take home a record prize of $1 million.
Eight mixed doubles teams gained automatic entry through their combined singles rankings. These include reigning men’s Grand Slam champion Jannik Sinner of Italy, paired with American Emma Navarro; Britain’s Jack Draper with Spain’s Paula Badosa; Germany’s Alexander Zverev alongside Swiss star Belinda Bencic; and Taylor Fritz with Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina.
Other top-ranked pairings include Holger Rune and Amanda Anisimova, Daniil Medvedev and Mirra Andreeva, Jessica Pegula and Tommy Paul, and world number one Iga Swiatek with Norway’s Casper Ruud.
In addition to Williams and Opelka, other high-profile wild card entries include Carlos Alcaraz and Emma Raducanu, Madison Keys and Frances Tiafoe, Taylor Townsend with Ben Shelton, Italians Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori, and Novak Djokovic partnering Olga Danilovic.
Two additional wild card teams are yet to be announced.
