"They should be able to play for as long as they want": Debate rumbles on about Venus Williams wildcards at 46

Friday, 28 August 2026 at 12:30

Venus Williams is one of the greatest of all time, but she continues to get wildcards which is always a. bone of conjecture for a player who is currently 46-years-old. She has been playing professionally for nearly 30 years, but her last 14 games have all ended in defeat.

So where's the line in reality? With a ranking of 611, she has been reliant on wildcards to compete. She has had 11 already this season and the USTA has offered her a 12th so she can play at the US Open where she will face fellow former Grand Slam champion Sofia Kenin in the first round.

There is a school of thought though and one that even came to younger players such as Emma Raducanu wanting to return that there is a bit too much of this going on and that Williams even though she is an all-time great should earn her spot. But a tournament director believes she deserves it no matter what.

"I think it's good for tennis to have these generational icons," said Karl Hale, the tournament director for the Canadian Open to BBC Sport.

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"That they are still allocating wildcards for them says something to their intrinsic value to the tournaments."

"The way we looked at Venus is that her legacy is phenomenal. She's done so much for the sport and is really popular here in Toronto and our markets specifically - so we thought it was really good to announce it early that we have a Williams sister coming."

While Hale continued that in reality with the first round seeing the lesser lights involved before the big names come into proceedings that for someone like Venus Williams, she adds an intrigue and also a ticket selling name to the opening few days of the tournament.

"The wildcards always play first-round matches, and with the bigger draw now, it adds more notable names and stars for the beginning of the tournament. Venus played opening day. She kicked off our tournament, so it added a lot of value."

Venus Williams celebrating in Bad Homburg

Venus Williams continues to play.

Does Venus Williams still deserve it?

But while the ticket selling argument may grab muster when it comes to tournament directors, questions have often been asked about players like Venus Williams surrounding the fact that she hasn't been too competitive for a long time and that for many they believe that she is given too many opportunities for a player who is in her late 40's to still play.

Hale though defended that saying that she has shown at times that she can still do it and that she showed that she was still competitive even in defeat. "You never want to put a player out there that you are unsure about," said Hale.

"Venus lost 6-4 6-1 to Kamilla Rakhimova, and the first set was really competitive. She's still competitive, but just not winning these matches."

But while that is the case, he said that she can make the call feasibly when it is time to hang up the racquet and no longer get the opportunities with Hale very much seeing it as a while she wants it, we will provide kind of school over Williams getting them cut off after a certain amount of time.

"When the time comes that Venus is not competitive in sets, then I think she will make that call," Hale responded.

"Venus and Serena have done so much for women's tennis and the sport that they should be able to play as long as they want.

"I'm very happy they are continuing and they make their decision when they are ready, or each tournament makes their decision when they are ready."

Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief

Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.

Based in Leicester, Samuel has a broad background in tennis media. In his current role, he works closely with editors and writers to ensure coverage meets clear journalistic standards, with particular attention to verification, consistency, and timely updates when new information becomes available.

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