Venus Williams has accepted a wildcard invitation to play a single at DC Open this month. This will be the first tournament for seven Grand Slam champions in over a year.
Williams, who turned 45 in June, is listed as “inactive” on the WTA Tour website.
She has not played in official matches since the Miami Open in 2024.
“There’s something really special about DC: energy, fans, history,” Williams said in a statement released Friday by organizers of the hard court tournament that begins next weekend with qualifying. “This city has always shown me so much love and I can’t wait to compete again.”
Williams also played in the country’s capital in 2022.
“She inspired people all over the world with her work in the courts and her visionary influence from the courts,” said Mark Ein, chairman of the Mubadara City DC Open. “We know how meaningful it makes her to our DC fans and the community that she can compete directly this summer.”
In February, the tournament at Indian Wells, California announced Williams would return to the tour by playing there, then backtracked and said he found himself not to.
Williams’ recent Grand Slam appearance came in 2023 when he left the first round at Wimbledon – the US was open after slipping on the first set and hurting his right knee.
Her five championships in singles at All England Club appeared in 2000, 2001, 2005, 2007 and 2008, and also won the 2000 and 2001 US Open single titles. She also won 14 Grand Slam Doubles titles along with her sister Serena. Serena’s final tournament was the 2022 US Open, with a total of four Olympic gold medals.
Elderly Williams said in 2011 that she was diagnosed with Sjogren’s syndrome, an energy intake autoimmune disease that could cause joint pain.
