NEW YORK – Venus Williams will compete in the women’s doubles at the U.S. Open on Tuesday after receiving wildcard admission in 2021 singles runner-up Leylah Fernandez.
Williams, 45, made a comeback after 16 months of the tour, appeared in her first Grand Slam in two years after making a comeback last month.
She played in a mixed doubles last week and then played singles on Monday night – both through the American Tennis Association’s universal invitation letter.
Williams quits in the first round every time, but is happy to reappear after dealing with injuries and illness. She underwent surgery for a uterine fibroid last year and spoke after a three-set exit against No. 11-seeded Karolina Muchova, because she was relieved and painless.
“Oh, what did I prove to myself?” Williams said, repeating part of the reporter’s question at her post-match press conference. “I think it’s for me to go back to the court to give myself a healthier way of playing. When you’re not healthy, that’s in your mind. It’s not just how you feel. You’re stuck in your mind, too. So, it’s nice to be more free.”
She was the biggest person to play single at the U.S. Open since 1981, and the audience loved every moment of it, greeted her with a high-held camera phone, shouting “Let’s Go, Venus!” during the game, and took her out of the court at Arthur Ashe Stadium with a standing applause.
In addition to her seven Grand Slam singles trophys, Williams also has 14 major champions in women’s doubles, and her sister Serena is her companion. Two of them came to New York in 1999 and 2009.
They played together for the last time at the U.S. Open in 2022, where Serena played her final singles match.
