Former two-time champion Venus Williams headlines US Open wildcards

WASHINGTON: Seven-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams is the headlining the wildcard category for the women’s singles competition in the upcoming US Open, starting from August 18 onwards.

The two-time US Open champion, who won the title in 2000, 2001, will be joining fellow Americans Clervie Ngounoue, Julieta Pareja, Caty McNally, Valerie Glozman and Alyssa Ahn, France’s Caroline Garcia, a 2022 semifinalist, and Australian Talia Gibson in the wild card category for women’s singles.

Williams, aged 45, made her return to action last month at the Washington DC Open and played her first match in 16 months. She also earned her first singles win in almost two years, becoming the oldest player to win a WTA Tour-level singles match in more than 21 years. She made it to the round of 16 of the competition. Also, at the US Open, she will be a part of the mixed doubles competition with compatriot Reilly Opelka.

Along with her sister Serena, Williams paved the way for the next generation of black tennis stars, including Ngounoue. During the presser ahead of the event, Venus expressed thrill at the amount of impact she had made, something she was not expecting when she picked up the racquet.

“As a young person, I wanted to play the game, be a champion. I loved the game so much, I did not realise that it would be so much bigger than myself,” she said as quoted by the US Open’s website.

“Seeing these young women doing positive things with their life, winning tournaments, inspiring the next generation, too, it is like I could have never imagined that. So it is like icing on the cake, cherries on top with the nuts and all the fixings. It is beautiful,” she concluded. (ANI)