Venus Williams Granted Wild Card for Mixed Doubles at US Open
Venus Williams is all set to take part in the upcoming US Open next month, having secured a wild-card entry into the mixed doubles event alongside Reilly Opelka.
The 45-year-old Williams will make her return at the US Open by partnering with Opelka in the newly revamped mixed doubles format through a wild-card slot. Williams resumed her professional tennis journey only last week after being away from the circuit for over a year. The United States Tennis Association (USTA) announced on Tuesday that Williams and Opelka are among the 14 pairs participating in the mixed doubles event, scheduled for August 19 and 20.
Out of the 16 slots, eight pairs have gained direct entry into the draw based on the combined rankings of the players in singles, while six teams have been awarded wild cards by the USTA.
Who Else is Participating?
The tournament features a star-studded line-up, including nine players who have at least one Grand Slam singles title to their name, and 14 players who are presently within the top 10 in the ATP or WTA singles rankings.
The eight teams with direct qualification include: World No. 11 Emma Navarro with World No. 1 Jannik Sinner; World No. 10 Paula Badosa with World No. 5 Jack Draper; World No. 3 Iga Swiatek with World No. 13 Casper Ruud; World No. 12 Elena Rybakina with World No. 4 Taylor Fritz; World No. 7 Amanda Anisimova with World No. 9 Holger Rune; Belinda Bencic with World No. 3 Alexander Zverev; World No. 4 Jessica Pegula with World No. 15 Tommy Paul; and World No. 5 Mirra Andreeva with World No. 14 Daniil Medvedev.
Originally, Badosa was supposed to pair up with Stefanos Tsitsipas, while Draper was initially scheduled to team up with Zheng Qinwen.
In addition to the Williams-Opelka duo, other wild-card entries include Emma Raducanu with World No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz; World No. 8 Madison Keys with World No. 12 Frances Tiafoe; Olga Danilovic with World No. 6 Novak Djokovic; Taylor Townsend—who has just reached the top spot in women’s doubles this week—with World No. 7 Ben Shelton; and the defending champions of last year’s US Open mixed doubles title, Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori.
This high-profile line-up marks a notable contrast from the usual mixed doubles rosters at Grand Slam tournaments, which often feature lesser-known athletes and doubles specialists. When the revised format was announced in February, several players criticised the changes. Errani and Vavassori described the modified structure as a “pseudo-exhibition meant only for entertainment and glamour,” saying it sidelined genuine doubles professionals.
In a bid to draw more big-name participants, the USTA increased the prize purse, moved the mixed doubles schedule to the week before the singles events, and modified the match format to sets of four games each, with no-ad scoring.
Sixteen pairs will vie for the top prize of $1 million, with the final two wild-card pairings to be disclosed by the USTA in the coming days.
Venus Williams might still request a wild-card slot in the women’s singles draw, which is expected to be revealed by the USTA in the week starting August 11.
Last week, Williams registered one win each in singles and doubles at the D.C. Open in Washington, marking her return to competitive tennis since the Miami Open in March 2024.
She holds an impressive record of seven Grand Slam singles titles, 14 in women’s doubles (alongside her younger sister Serena), and two in mixed doubles.
Opelka, an American player who stands at 6 feet 11 inches (2.11 metres), is 27 years old and was formerly ranked in the top 20. He is currently placed at No. 74 after missing nearly two full seasons due to injury-related setbacks.
Several other prospective teams that have yet to be confirmed include Katie Boulter–Alex de Minaur, Jasmine Paolini–Lorenzo Musetti, Aryna Sabalenka–Grigor Dimitrov, Naomi Osaka–Nick Kyrgios, Karolina Muchova–Andrey Rublev, Iva Jovic–Jenson Brooksby, Gaby Dabrowski–Felix Auger-Aliassime, Demi Schuurs–Tallon Griekspoor, Katerina Siniakova–Marcelo Arevalo, Desirae Krawczyk–Evan King, and Su-Wei Hsieh–Jan Zielinski.
