Venus Williams, 45, accepts wildcard invitation to DC Open
Williams, who turned 45 in June, is listed as 'inactive' on the WTA Tour's website.
She hasn't competed in an official match since the Miami Open in 2024.
'There's something truly special about D.C.: the energy, the fans, the history,' Williams said in a statement released Friday by organizers of the hard-court tournament, which begins with qualifying next weekend. 'This city has always shown me so much love, and I can't wait to compete there again.'
Williams also played in the nation's capital in 2022.
'She has inspired people around the world with her accomplishments on the court and her visionary impact off the court,' said Mark Ein, chairman of the Mubadala Citi DC Open. 'I know how much it means to our D.C. fans and community to be able to watch her compete in person this summer.'
In February, the tournament in Indian Wells, California, announced that Williams would be making her return to the tour by playing there, then later backtracked and said it turned out she wouldn't.
Williams' most recent grand slam appearances came in 2023, when she exited in the first round at Wimbledon – after slipping in the first set and hurting her right knee – and the US Open.
Her five championships in singles at the All England Club came in 2000, 2001, 2005, 2007, 2008 and she won the 2000 and 2001 U.S. Open singles trophies, too. She also won 14 Grand Slam doubles titles alongside her younger sister, Serena, whose last tournament was the 2022 US Open, and a total of four Olympic gold medals.
The older Williams said in 2011 that she had been diagnosed with Sjögren's syndrome, an energy-sapping auto-immune disease that can cause joint pain.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Reuters
24 minutes ago
- Reuters
Britain's Moore handed four-year ban after CAS upholds ITIA appeal
July 15 (Reuters) - Britain's Tara Moore, who was previously cleared of an anti-doping rule violation, was handed a four-year ban on Tuesday after the Court of Arbitration for Sport upheld an appeal filed by the International Tennis Integrity Agency. Moore, Britain's former number one-ranked doubles player, was provisionally suspended in June 2022 due to the presence of prohibited anabolic steroids Nandrolone and boldenone. Moore said she had never knowingly taken a banned substance in her career and an independent tribunal determined that contaminated meat consumed by her in the days before sample collection was the source of the prohibited substance. Moore lost 19 months in the process before she was cleared of the ADRV but CAS upheld the ITIA's appeal against the first instance "No Fault or Negligence" ruling with respect to nandrolone. "After reviewing the scientific and legal evidence, the majority of the CAS Panel considered that the player did not succeed in proving that the concentration of nandrolone in her sample was consistent with the ingestion of contaminated meat," CAS said in a statement. "The panel concluded that Ms Moore failed to establish that the ADRV was not intentional. The appeal by the ITIA is therefore upheld and the decision rendered by the Independent Tribunal is set aside." Moore had previously said how she saw her reputation, ranking and livelihood "slowly trickling away" for 19 months during her initial suspension. The 32-year-old had also filed a cross-appeal at CAS "seeking to dismiss the ITIA appeal, dismiss the nandrolone result in the ADRV or alternatively confirm that she bears no fault or negligence". However, CAS said the cross-appeal was declared inadmissible and her four-year period of ineligibility would start from July 15, with credit for any provisional suspension that has already been served. "Our bar for appealing a first instance decision is high, and the decision is not taken lightly," ITIA CEO Karen Moorhouse said in a statement. "In this case, our independent scientific advice was that the player did not adequately explain the high level of nandrolone present in their sample. Today's ruling is consistent with this position."
The Sun
37 minutes ago
- The Sun
Ben Shelton gets over Wimbledon heartache as US tennis star packs on PDA with Trinity Rodman on vacation
BEN SHELTON has gotten over his Wimbledon heartache by packing on the PDA with Trinity Rodman while on vacation. The tennis ace was beaten at SW19 by eventual champion Jannik Sinner in the quarter-final. 6 6 6 6 Shelton, 22, had reached the last eight by beating the likes of Marton Fucsovics, Rinky Hijikata and Lorenzo Sonego. However, he was no match for Sinner as he was beaten in straight sets on Court 1 last week. Shelton now has a smile back on his face as he is enjoying his time with Rodman while on holiday. NWSL star Rodman, 23, shared a post of their break on Instagram for her 615k followers. In a couple of pictures, the couple can be seen embracing and sharing a kiss next to the sea. Rodman looked stunning in a green bikini while Shelton opted for just a pair of black and orange trunks. She has been out of action since April due to a back injury. She captioned the post: "Not the summer that I had in mind but still loved every moment. "Can't wait to be back on the field." Fans loved the adorable pictures as they flooded the comment section. 'Ruthless US star' Ben Shelton slams 'garbage and terrible' part of Wimbledon which leaves British fans fuming One posted: "This is cuteness." A second wrote: "I literally have a crush on your relationship." A third commented: "Cute couple, hope it last." A fourth said: "I love them together. Ben and Trinity. Love is love." Another added: "Love these two!" 6 6 The post also included glimpses of Rodman's efforts to get herself back fit. It showed she was practising her shooting on a pitch as well as working hard in the gym.
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Shaquille O'Neal threatens to punch NFL analyst over Angel Reese criticism
NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal has claimed that he will 'punch' former NFL star Robert Griffin III over his recent comments on Angel Reese. Griffin made headlines earlier this month when he waded into debate over Chicago Sky star Reese being selected as a NBA 2K26 cover star. However, in doing so, he also brought attention to one social media user editing the cover to feature a monkey in place of Reese - while also doubling down on a claim that the Sky star 'hates' WNBA rival Caitlin Clark. Reese swiftly fired back at Griffin with a subtle post on X aimed at the NFL-star-turned-analyst. Griffin then doubled down on his claims, once more. Now, NBA legend O'Neal has joined the debate and threatened to 'punch' Griffin he makes further comments on the WNBA star. On the ' Off the Record' podcast, O'Neal said: 'RG3? Tweet another monkey post about my girl Angel Reese and I'm going to punch you in your f***ing face'. Shaq speaks out on Angel Reese drama with RGIII‼️ Full episode out now: #shaq #shaquilleoneal #angelreese #rgiii #wnba — Bailey Jackson (@baileyjsports) July 15, 2025 'I don't usually do stuff like this but just stop it, bro. You've got your job, you've got your podcast... leave my Angel Reese alone. 'I'm the one calling her and telling her not to respond. F***ing stop it. That's the last time. Okay? Thank you'. 'It's not real hate. If you look around at what's going on in this real country, that's hate. This is sports. I'm not supposed to like you! 'It's a shame that [for] all the stuff that you did in your life, you're going to be remembered for a podcast. That should tell you that you're not that f***ing great. 'Leave those girls alone, you already spoke on it. Let it go. Don't pick on that little girl. Because guess what? I'm her protector. Now pick on me. And if you pick on me, I'm going to punch you in your f***ing face'. The confusing saga began when Griffin attempted to defend Reese online after she was criticized for being chosen for the cover of a new video game, NBA 2K26. One racist post from an unidentified X user photoshopped the cover to make Reese, who is African American, appear as a monkey. But in his misguided effort to stick up for Reese, Griffin claimed to know her on-court beef with Clark wasn't just in the minds of media and fans, adding that the Sky star's inner circle had confirmed this to him. The former NFL star refused to let the issue rest, maintaining he was telling the truth Reese wasn't buying it and accused Griffin of 'lying on this app… for clout'. '… Everybody know the first and last name of everybody in my circle,' Reese said, apparently insisting Griffin wasn't communicating with anyone close to her. Ultimately she called Griffin's post 'nastyyy work.' Griffin defended himself online after Reese and Clark's comments Wednesday morning. 'Alright. This has got to stop,' Griffin wrote on X. 'There is no place for racism in this world. Whether you like a player or not. Angel Reese should never be called or depicted as a Monkey,' he wrote in a post to X referencing the vile reaction to Reese's cover. 'I have been quiet on the Angel Reese front because she shared a video that aided in my wife, kids, family and friends receiving death threats, threats of physical harm to my family and friends and threats of sexual violence to my children on social media and beyond. 'That will never be okay with me. I never attacked her or her family when I stated and backed up with clear basketball evidence that Angel Reese hates Caitlin Clark. It's sports. Everybody won't like each other.' Griffin refused to let the issue rest in a later post. 'I spoke up in support of Angel Reese against racism not to start drama,' he later shared. 'But I won't let anyone twist the truth just because it's inconvenient to them. Instead of trying to check me, just tighten up your circle. 'They calling me and saying you hate Caitlin Clark, not the other way around. 'I have zero interest in being the villain in anyone's story. I just want to have fun, tell the truth and celebrate sports. But I won't pretend or lie just to protect feelings.'
