Venus Williams has sent tennis fans into a frenzy after accepting a wildcard to play at the Canadian Open in the lead-up to the US Open next month.
The 42-year-old hasn’t played singles in nearly 12 months but made a surprise appearance in the mixed doubles with Jamie Murray at Wimbledon this month.
Speculation has been rife that Venus is on the verge of retirement, but Canadian Open officials announced on Wednesday that the seven-time grand slam champion will return to singles action in Toronto.
The American star will compete in Toronto for the first time since 2019 and return to WTA Tour singles play for the first time since August last year.
Venus hasn’t played a singles match since she lost to Hsieh Su-Wei in the first round at the Chicago Women’s Open nearly 12 months ago.
She returned from a leg injury to partner Murray in the mixed doubles at Wimbledon earlier this month, reaching the second round.
The news that Venus will make her return to singles in Canada comes after organisers announced last week that sister Serena will also play the WTA 1000 event in Toronto.
Serena made her singles return at Wimbledon after a 12-month absence from the tour following an injury she suffered at the All England Club in 2021.
After a first-round loss to Harmony Tan she said she wasn’t sure what her future schedule looked like.
However she has since been confirmed to play at the Canadian Open, as well as the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati – two hard-court events that serve as key lead-up tournaments for the US Open.
It will be the first time since 2015 that Serena will play both events – a clear sign that she’ll be playing at the US Open at the end of August.
Fans were left rapt to hear that both Venus and Serena will be playing in Canada – and potentially the US Open.
