File image of Dominic Thiem© AFP
Dominic Thiem, 2020 champion, and Grand Slam title winners Venus Williams and Sofia Kenin were among those named Wednesday as wild cards for the US Open main draw. The United States Tennis Association announced the recipients before the August 29 start of the year’s final Grand Slam tournament in New York. Thiem, the former world number three now ranked 228, is back in action after a long break with a wrist injury.
Williams, 42, has won seven Grand Slam singles titles, including the US Open championship in a row in 2000 and 2001. She returned to competition after missing nearly a year due to injury.
Her sister Serena, a 23-time Grand Slam singles champion who turns 41 next month, has hinted at retiring after the US Open.
Kenin, the 2020 Australian Open champion, was ranked as high as world fourth but recently returned from an injury break and is currently ranked 412th.
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The US women’s wild cards with Kenin and Venus Williams include CoCo Vandeweghe, Elizabeth Mandlik – daughter of 1985 US Open champion Hana Mandlikova – Peyton Stearns and Eleana Yu.
Other wild cards belong to Harmony Tan of France and Jaimee Fourlis of Australia. South American wild cards include Sam Querrey, Emilio Nava, JJ Wolf, Ben Shelton and Learner Tien. Other wild cards belong to Ugo Humbert of France and Rinky Hijikata of Australia.
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