Venus Williams Returns to the US Open as Serena's Comeback Story Deepens

Venus Williams is heading back to Flushing Meadows. The two-time US Open champion has been a near-permanent presence at the tournament through wildcards — invitations that allow players who haven't qualified through the rankings to enter the main draw — and 2026 is no different.

Now 46, Venus became the oldest US Open singles player in 44 years when she took to the courts last year. That run ended with a three-set loss to ninth seed Karolina Muchova, but not before she and Leylah Fernandez reached the doubles quarter-finals — a reminder that the elder Williams still finds ways deep into a tournament fortnight. She has not won a Grand Slam singles match since Wimbledon 2021, when she reached the second round. (BBC Sport)

Her US Open story stretches back over two decades. Venus won her first singles title at Flushing Meadows in 2000, just two months after claiming her maiden major at Wimbledon. The following year she beat her sister Serena in the 2001 final to defend the title — the first of nine Grand Slam finals the sisters would contest against each other, a rivalry that reshaped women's tennis.

That rivalry could yet have another chapter. Serena Williams, who played what was expected to be the final tournament of her career at the 2022 US Open, returned to competitive tennis in June. She played doubles at Queen's, received the final Wimbledon women's singles wildcard, and then reunited with Venus for a Wimbledon doubles wildcard that gave her comeback real momentum. (usopen.org)

Venus has been open about what it takes to keep going. She was diagnosed in 2011 with Sjogren's syndrome, an incurable autoimmune disease that causes fatigue and joint pain. In 2025 she spoke publicly about the impact of painful fibroids on her daily life — a condition that adds another layer of difficulty to an already demanding schedule. That she is still competing at all, let alone at Grand Slam level, is a testament to sheer persistence.

The US Open wildcard picture extends beyond the Williams family. Gael Monfils has been awarded a wildcard for what will be the final Grand Slam of his career. The Frenchman, who reached the US Open semi-finals in 2016, plans to retire at the end of this season. One men's singles wildcard remains unallocated, and it could go to 2016 champion Stan Wawrinka. (BBC Sport)

For fans, the 2026 US Open carries a particular weight. Venus keeps returning, Serena has unfinished business, and Monfils is saying goodbye. Three careers that have overlapped for nearly two decades will converge on the same hard courts in New York — and each, in its own way, is running out of time. A fifth-set tiebreak, two players, nowhere to hide. That is the stage these three have chosen.