Venus Williams Will Play in 2022 Citi Open; Hasn't Played Singles in Nearly a Year

Venus Williams will play her first singles match in nearly one year when she takes part in the Citi Open starting on July 30.

Tournament organizers announced on Thursday that Williams has accepted a wild-card entry for the event:

Williams' last singles match was at the Chicago Women's Open on Aug. 24. She lost to Hsieh Su-wei in straight sets in the first round.

It was announced on Wednesday that Williams also accepted a wild-card invitation to play singles at the National Bank Open in Toronto that runs from Aug. 5-14.

"I’m so excited to be back playing the National Bank Open presented by Rogers," Williams said in the announcement. "I love the city, the tournament, and I look forward to being back in Toronto."

Williams will be joined in Toronto by her sister, Serena, who is using her protected ranking to play in the main draw. Serena is also on the entry list for the U.S. Open, though she hasn't confirmed if she will play in the final Grand Slam event of the year.

Venus has yet to make an announcement about her possible participation in the U.S. Open.

After her loss in Chicago last year, Williams took time off to deal with a leg injury. The 42-year-old made her return to competition last month at Wimbledon in the mixed doubles with partner Jamie Murray.

The duo beat Michael Venus and Alicja Rosolska in the first round before falling to Jonny O'Mara and Alicia Barnett in the second round.

Williams' last win in a singles match was against Mihaela Buzarnescu at Wimbledon in June 2021. She hasn't advanced past the second round at a tournament as a singles competitor since the 2019 Western and Southern Open.

This will mark Williams' first career appearance at the Citi Open. Her seven career Grand Slam singles titles are tied for eighth most in the Open era.