US Open 2023: Caroline Wozniacki, Venus Williams, John Isner awarded wildcards

Former world number one Caroline Wozniacki and seven-time Grand Slam singles champion Venus Williams were among those awarded US Open wildcard spots on Wednesday by the US Tennis Association. US star John Isner received a wildcard spot on the men’s side for the year’s final Grand Slam event, which begins August 28 on the New York hardcourts. Wozniacki, a 33-year-old Dane, will make her first Grand Slam appearance since retiring after the 2020 Australian Open to start a family, giving birth to two-year-old Olivia and 6-month-old James before starting her comeback earlier this month. The 2018 Australian Open champion was the US Open runner-up in 2009 and 2014. Williams, 43, will make her 24th appearance in the main draw at Flushing Meadows, where she captured back-to-back titles in 2000 and 20021. The older sister of 23-time Grand Slam singles champion Serena Williams missed almost six months this season with an injury but the five-time Wimbledon winner returned during the grass-court campaign and took her first victory over a top-20 foe earlier this week at Cincinnati. Isner, 38, hasn’t missed a US Open main draw since his 2007 debut and will make his 17th appearance in New York this year. His best Grand Slam run was to the 2018 Wimbledon semi-finals while his top US Open results were quarter-finals efforts in 2011 and 2018. American Steve Johnson, 33, will play in his 13th consecutive US Open main draw while compatriot Michael Mmoh, 25, also got a wildcard after a third-round run at this year’s Australian Open, his top Grand Slam showing, and a first-round upset of Felix Auger-Aliassime last month at Wimbledon. Other women receiving US Open wildcard spots include Americans Ashlyn Krueger, Robin Montgomery, Kayla Day and Clervie Ngounoue plus Australia’s Storm Hunter and France’s Fiona Ferro. Other men receiving US Open wildcard berths included US teens Learner Tien, Alex Michelsen and Ethan Quinn, Australia’s Rinky Hijikata and France’s Benjamin Bonzi.