Venus Williams is not done yet. Despite plenty of speculation that her US Open exit might have been her final tournament, the 46-year-old has accepted both a singles and doubles wildcard into the WTA 250 in Guangzhou later this October, marking her first appearance in Asia since 2019.
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The seven-time singles Grand Slam champion has been on a 15-match losing streak since her last victory at the Washington Open last year, making her the first former world No. 1 to drop 10 consecutive singles matches since WTA rankings started in 1975.
Her US Open campaign did little to change that narrative on the singles and doubles fronts. A late-night loss to Sofia Kenin after blowing a big tie-break lead, and in doubles alongside sister Serena, where the pair squandered a 5-0 lead in the deciding tie-break against Maya Joint and Hao-Ching Chan.
Every tournament she has entered this year has come via wildcard, and she has not been able to secure any results. The organizers’ decision to give her wildcards for commercial benefits cost promising young players the opportunity they were counting on.
Fans have run out of patience
The journalist who posted this news on X was Ben Rothenberg, a renowned tennis journalist, and one fan sarcastically asked him if he could stop Williams.
“Ben will she listen to you??? Cuz obviously she doesn’t listen to her former fans. She’s losing us. She’s losing her legacy and she’s losing every match,” one fan wrote, a frustration rooted directly in that 15-match skid now threatening to stretch into a second full season without a win in 12 matches.
“I was one of those who thought that and, I just want to apologize for all my comments defending and rationalizing her playing this season,” another one wrote, adding they had assumed the US Open would mark the end. Others focused less on Williams herself and more on how the wildcard system keeps operating around her.
“GAWD! Stop with the wildcards! If she wants to keep playing, earn her damn way in!” one fan wrote, a complaint that carries weight given her ranking sits well outside the top 400, far below the cutoff any other player would need to enter a WTA Tour event without one. Another questioned the commercial logic tournaments keep leaning on.
“When are tournaments going to stop handing out wildcards to a player who might bring in a few more people for a one hour match? It’s ridiculous,” they wrote, pointing to how out of those 15 matches only five of them have gone to a decider. It suggests that there was barely even a fight for the fans to watch on the court.
“Why does she keep taking wild cards that could have been given to young, upcoming, rising stars? Why???” the post read.
Since the streak remains unbroken and the organizers have not indicated any plan to change their strategy, Williams’ wildcard saga will undoubtedly continue with her to Guangzhou and beyond.