Venus Williams has accepted a wildcard into Toronto and she is set to play her first singles tournament in 12 months. Williams, 42, hasn’t played since last year’s August and on Wednesday the National Bank Open announced her as a wildcard recipient.
.@Venuseswilliams joins sister @serenawilliams in Toronto!!!
Venus enters as a wild card into the #NBO22 for her 11th appearance at the tournament.
Read more: https://t.co/S4r8b2g4HD pic.twitter.com/C3qRTP2y8f — National Bank Open (@NBOtoronto) July 20, 2022
Williams, a seven-time Grand Slam champion, is set to make her 11th appearance at the National Bank Open.
Williams debuted at the National Bank Open nearly three decades ago, in 1995. 27 years later have passed since Williams’ debut at the tournament and now she has picked the National Bank Open as the place where she wants to make her long-awaited comeback.
Williams excited to make a comeback in Canada
After last year’s National Bank Open edition was held in Montreal, now it’s Toronto’s turn to host the National Bank Open. “I’m so excited to be back playing the National Bank Open presented by Rogers,” Williams said.
“I love the city, the tournament, and I look forward to being back in Toronto”. Last week, Serena Williams was confirmed as a participant of this year’s National Bank Open. Now, she has been joined by her sister.
“We are thrilled to have both Venus and Serena playing the National Bank Open presented by Rogers this year,” Toronto Tournament Director Karl Hale said in a statement. “They have meant a great deal to our sport and having them at a tournament really puts a spark in everyone from the fans, tournament staff, and even the other players.
They’re two of the greatest players in history and we look forward to hosting them in Toronto.” Venus Williams’ best result at the National Bank Open came in 2014, when the tournament was staged in Montreal.
Back then, Williams reached the final before losing to Agnieszka Radwanska. Williams is now set to play at the National Bank Open for the first time since 2019. The National Bank Open is scheduled to take place between August 8-14 and it remains to be seen how far can Williams go in her first singles tournament of the year.