USTA Announces Women’s Wild Card Recipients for US Open; Serena Williams’ Status Remains Uncertain

The United States Tennis Association (USTA) revealed seven of the eight wild cards awarded for the women’s singles draw at the upcoming US Open on Tuesday. Notable former champions Venus Williams and Sloane Stephens were included among the recipients, but the significant absence of Serena Williams—marked by a “To be announced” status for the final spot—draws attention.

At 44, Serena Williams made her return to competitive tennis this summer after being away for nearly four years. Initially participating only in doubles, she accepted a wild card to compete in singles at Wimbledon. The All England Club delayed announcing its last women’s wild card to give Serena time to decide if she felt ready to play.

During her Wimbledon debut, the 23-time major champion lost to Maya Joint in the first round, with scores of 6-3, 7-6 (6), 3-6, and subsequently sustained a knee injury that led her to withdraw from the doubles event, where she was set to partner with Venus.

On Monday night, Serena returned to the court for the first time since her Wimbledon loss. Partnering with Venus for their first match together since the 2022 US Open, the sisters were defeated by Marta Kostyuk and Peyton Stearns in the first round of the Cincinnati Open. The duo is anticipated to compete together at the US Open.

With singles qualifying set to commence on Monday in New York, Serena faces a critical decision regarding her participation in the upcoming tournament.

Alongside Williams, Carol Young Suh Lee, Reese Brantmeier, and Thea Frodin were announced as wild-card recipients. Leolia Jeanjean and Taylah Preston received reciprocal wild cards due to agreements between the USTA and the French and Australian tennis federations.

The USTA also disclosed seven of the eight men’s wild cards on Tuesday, featuring Michael Zheng, the current two-time NCAA men’s singles champion, and Gael Monfils, a former semifinalist and world No. 6 who plans to retire at the season’s end. Additional recipients included Martin Damm, J.J. Wolf, Sebastian Gorzny, Jack Kennedy, and Alexei Popyrin, the latter through a reciprocal agreement with Tennis Australia. Similar to the women’s draw, the eighth spot was labeled as “To be announced,” with Stan Wawrinka, the 2016 US Open champion and another retiree this year, notably absent from the list but also a candidate for that final slot.

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