US Open 2026: Why does Venus Williams get so many wildcards?
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'A generational icon' - why wildcards abound for Venus Williams
Image source: Getty Images
Image caption: Venus Williams last won a singles match in July 2025
By Russell Fuller
Tennis correspondent in New York
Published 27 minutes ago
Venus Williams, a five-time Wimbledon singles champion and tennis trailblazer, has been playing professionally for nearly 30 years. Yet, her last 14 singles matches have all ended in defeat, with a world ranking of 611. She relies on wildcards to compete, having received 11 this season, with a 12th offered by the United States Tennis Association (USTA) for the US Open.
There's a school of thought suggesting that, without any wins, too many wildcards are being offered, regardless of her legacy. However, there's no limit to the number of wildcards a Grand Slam champion can receive, and many tournaments still find commercial value in having a Williams sister in attendance.
"I think it's good for tennis to have these generational icons," said Karl Hale, the tournament director who offered Venus a wildcard for this month's WTA 1000 event in Toronto. "That they are still allocating wildcards for them says something to their intrinsic value to the tournaments."
Venus, a two-time US Open singles champion, hasn't qualified for a Grand Slam by ranking since Wimbledon 2021, where she also recorded her most recent singles win at a major. While she's shown signs of competitiveness in her past two Slam singles matches, pushing Karolina Muchova to three sets in New York last year and narrowly losing to Olga Danilovic at the Australian Open in January, her 18th defeat in 19 singles matches came against qualifier Emiliana Arango in Cincinnati this month.
This year, tournament directors in New Zealand, Australia, Spain, Germany, and Canada, as well as the United States, have sought Venus's participation. Eight of the 128 spots in a Grand Slam singles draw are assigned to wildcards, with quantities varying based on tournament size.
"The way we looked at Venus is that her legacy is phenomenal," Hale told BBC Sport. "She's done so much for the sport and is really popular here in Toronto and our markets specifically - so we thought it was really good to announce it early that we have a Williams sister coming."
Hale noted the significant media interest and its potential impact on ticket sales. "The wildcards always play first-round matches, and with the bigger draw [size] now, it adds more notable names and stars for the beginning of the tournament. Venus played opening day. She kicked off our tournament, so it added a lot of value."
"You never want a player you're unsure of," Hale added. "It's always good to have a guarantee, especially with someone of Venus's status."