Williams given US Open doubles wildcard with Fernandez

After receiving a wildcard from Canada’s Leylah Fernandez, Venus Williams will compete in the women’s doubles at the US Open.

Williams, 45, made her 25th Grand Slam appearance earlier this week, which was a record-extending 25th.

She will return to the Flushing Meadows courts with Fernandez, who is 23 years her junior, after a gallant first-round defeat suffered by Czech 11th seed Karolina Muchova on Monday.

In the first round, they will face Australian Ellen Perez and Ukrainian Lyudmyla Kichenok, the second seeds.

Serena and Williams’ younger sister Serena won the US Open doubles titles in 1999 and 2009.

There aren’t enough words to express how proud I am of you, Serena wrote on Instagram earlier on Tuesday in tribute to her sibling.

Williams, who had spent the entire year without competing, was declared an inactive player earlier this season.

Then, out of nowhere, she announced she was ready to play again at the Washington Open after receiving training from the tennis world for Wimbledon.

Williams whets her appetite for more competitive action by defeating Peyton Stearns in her Washington comeback.

Williams, a two-time champion and champion of the US Open singles, was given a wildcard despite her opening defeat in Cincinnati.

She reflected on how she has fought the odds in her 6-3, 2-6, 6-1 defeat to Muchova as she considered how she has overcome serious health issues to push the world’s best players.

Williams was identified with Sjogren’s syndrome, an unremarkable autoimmune condition that causes pain, numbness, and fatigue in 2011.

She revealed last month how painful fibroids, which are abnormal growths that develop in the uterus, had also had an impact on her.

Fernandez, 22, defeated compatriot Rebecca Marino 6-2 6-1 in the first round of the women’s singles in New York, which ranks her 31st.