Venus Williams will make her 24th appearance in the singles draw at Wimbledon after the 43-year-old American was given a wildcard entry on Wednesday.
Williams is a five-time Wimbledon singles champion and reached the final in 2017, two decades after her debut at the All England Club.
Ranked 697th in the world, Williams beat 48th-ranked Camila Giorgi on Monday at the Rothesay Classic in Birmingham. It was her first victory over a player in the top 50 in nearly four years. The seven-time grand slam singles champion next plays Jelena Ostapenko at the Wimbledon warm-up event.
Williams’ younger sister Serena is a seven-time Wimbledon champion. Serena lost in the first round at last year’s tournament and soon after announced her decision to step away from tennis. The sisters won six doubles titles together at Wimbledon.
Ukrainian player Elina Svitolina and British players Heather Watson and Katie Boulter were also given wildcards for the women’s draw. Boulter won her first WTA title on Sunday, beating compatriot Katie Boulter in Nottingham.
David Goffin, a Belgian who reached the Wimbledon quarter-finals in 2019 and 2022, was among the men given wildcards.