Venus Williams returns to US Open at 45 with wild card

Venus Williams is returning to the United States Open at age 45 with a wild-card entry that promises more than a match on Arthur Ashe Stadium. The 25th appearance at her home slam will pit Williams against 11th seed Karolina Muchova in tonight’s first-round action, marking a high-profile chapter in a career now approaching its fourth decade. Williams has not competed at a Grand Slam in two years, and she recently returned to competition after a 16-month hiatus and surgery to remove uterine fibroids. The event also carries a broader resonance, coinciding with the 75th anniversary of Althea Gibson’s first appearance at the U.S. national championships.

Williams’ return has drawn attention well beyond the scoreline. After a first-round exit at the Cincinnati Open, she conveyed a buoyant determination in discussing her comeback, underscoring a philosophy that success is measured by living life on her own terms. The glittering arc of her career—five Wimbledon titles, 23 Grand Slam trophies in singles and doubles, and a long-standing commitment to gender equity in tennis—has anchored her status as one of the sport’s defining figures. Her Washington Open victory, which made history as...