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Venus Williams, Dominic Thiem handed US Open wildcards; Gael Monfils ruled out due to injury

Seven-time major champion Venus Williams and 2020 Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin lead the list of the eight women who have received wild cards into the 2022 US Open women's singles main draw, the tournament organisers announced on Wednesday. Venus and Sofia will be joined by fellow Americans CoCo Vandeweghe, Elizabeth Mandlik, Peyton Stearns and Eleana Yu, as well as Australia's Jaimee Fourlis and France's Harmony Tan as part of reciprocal wild card agreements with Tennis Australia and the French tennis federation.

REUTERS

Updated Aug 18, 2022, 01:09 IST

Venus Williams at Wimbledon 2021

Photo : REUTERS

Former U.S. Open champions Venus Williams and Dominic Thiem were handed wildcard entries into this year's final Grand Slam tournament, the United States Tennis Association (USTA) said on Wednesday.

Other Americans, along with Williams, getting Flushing Meadows wildcards were former Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin, CoCo Vandeweghe, Elizabeth Mandlik, Peyton Stearns and 17-year-old Eleana Yu.

American men gaining direct entry into the main draw via wildcards include Sam Querrey, Emilio Nava, JJ Wolf, Ben Shelton and Learner Tien.

This year's tournament will run from Aug. 29 to Sept. 11.

The 42-year-old Williams, twice champion at Flushing Meadows, returns to the U.S. Open for the first time since 2020. Her sister Serena, the winner of 23 Grand Slam singles titles, could bring the curtain down on her remarkable career in New York.

Serena Williams announced her forthcoming retirement last week in Toronto, saying she was "evolving away from tennis", although she has not specifically said the U.S. Open will be her final tournament.

Austrian Thiem, who rallied from two sets down against Alexander Zverev to win the 2020 U.S. Open, is also returning from a long injury layoff that has seen his world ranking drop to 228.

Injured Monfils ruled out of U.S. Open

Gael Monfils has been ruled out of the U.S. Open due to a foot injury the Frenchman suffered last week in Montreal, the world number 22 said on Wednesday.

The 35-year-old, who reached a career-high ranking of sixth in 2016, returned to the Tour last week for the first time since May after undergoing a small operation for a right foot injury.

He won two matches at the Canadian Masters last week before his injury problems resurfaced against Britain's Jack Draper and he was forced to retire mid-match.

Monfils, who reached the semi-finals of the 2016 U.S. Open, flew back to Europe and said medical examinations have shown that he would not be able to participate at the year's final Grand Slam, the main draw of which starts on Aug. 29.

"I am forced to undergo a new period of treatment before being able to resume tournaments," he said on Twitter.

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