Venus Williams, 46, to compete in US Open for 26th time. What we know

Her sister’s comeback is grabbing headlines, but Venus Williams is continuing to extend her own tennis career.

Next up for Williams: a singles main draw wild card into the U.S. Open, which runs Aug. 30 to Sept. 13 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing, New York.

At 46, Williams has competed at several major tournaments on the WTA tour this year. She set an Australian Open record in January as the oldest woman to ever play in the main draw then played a busy slate of hardcourt and clay events, including Indian Wells and the Madrid Open. On Aug. 17, she reunited with Serena Williams and played doubles at the Cincinnati Open, where the pair lost a three-set thriller in the first round to Marta Kostyuk and Peyton Stearns.

Venus Williams was also scheduled to play doubles in the French Open and Wimbledon, but was forced to withdraw from both tournaments due to injuries to her partners (Hailey Baptiste and Serena Williams, respectively). Now, the seven-time Grand Slam singles champion will play the U.S. Open for the 26th time in her career.

Venus Williams’ U.S. Open match schedule

The 2026 U.S. Open women’s singles draw will be announced on Aug. 27.

Venus Williams U.S. Open history

Williams has won four career U.S. Open titles: singles championships in 2000 and 2001 and doubles titles alongside sister Serena in 1999 and 2009. Her career singles record at Flushing Meadows is 79-22, and her career doubles record is 30-8.

Williams last played singles at the U.S. Open in 2025, when she was knocked out in the opening round by Karolina Muchova. That same year, Williams reached the women’s doubles quarterfinals with partner Leylah Fernandez.

Williams has not made it past the first round of the U.S. Open singles main draw since 2019, when she beat Saisai Zheng and then lost to Elina Svitolina.

Tennis wild card explanation

All major tournaments reserve spots for wild cards, invitations awarded to players who would not otherwise qualify via their ranking. Wild cards are generally given to local players, rising young talent, players returning from injuries or former champions. For example, Serena Williams came out of retirement and received wild cards to play this summer in multiple tournaments, including Wimbledon.

Venus Williams’ continued inclusion via wild card, however, has sparked controversy and led some tennis fans to call for reforms to the wild card process.

Heading into the U.S. Open, Williams has lost her last 14 singles matches. Her last win was July 22, 2025 at the D.C. Open when she defeated Peyton Stearns in straight sets in the round of 32.

“C’mon, continuing to grant wild cards to one or both Williams sisters is just a $$$ money grab by tournaments. Such a waste,” wrote one fan, who uses the handle @savash98 on X.

Another fan using the name @realkaralynch wrote, “Venus Williams is a legend of the sport but she hasn’t won a singles match in over a year and it’s time for others to get their chance.”

Tennis journalist Jon Wertheim, who co-hosts the “Served” podcast with Andy Roddick, suggested implementing rules that would cap the number of wild cards a player can receive annually and prevent players from getting wild cards after a specified number of consecutive losses.

We’ve hit a point where tennis fans are (rightly) demanding firm wild card guidelines and policy….Initial suggestions:
– Cap number of wild cards a player can receive in a year.
– Players are foreclosed from WC’s after X straight defeats.
-End the doubly-corrupt “reciprocal… https://t.co/nHHOCaySZq

— Jon Wertheim (@jon_wertheim) August 18, 2026

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Venus Williams, 46, to compete in US Open for 26th time. What we know