Venus Williams is set to make a women’s singles comeback in the National Bank Open through wildcard entry. For the first time since 2019, Venus Williams will participate in a competition in Toronto. Moreover, she will play singles matches on the WTA Tour for the first time since August 2021. The three-time Toronto winner last competed there in 2019, when she withdrew due to back spasms after losing to Canadian Bianca Andreescu in the championship match.
The National Open Bank released an official statement by Venus Williams. It read, “I’m so excited to be back playing the National Bank Open presented by Rogers. I love the city, the tournament, and I look forward to being back in Toronto.” The tournament put up an official entry list last week with Serena Williams as one of the participants. This will be Serena’s first North American hard-court competition in two years.
Both Serena and Venus Williams will be part of the tournament
Venus Williams has not had the best sporting success in the city. Her best result to date was just a third-round appearance in 2017, and she has a 2-7 record in Toronto. She did, however, finish second in 2014’s sister event of the National Bank Open in Montréal, losing to Agnieszka Radwanska. The championship’s organizer, Karl Hale, expressed his delight at the possibility of having both Williams sisters compete by saying that they both have contributed significantly to the sport.
“We are thrilled to have both the sister playing at the National Bank Open presented by Rogers this year. Venus and Serena meant a great deal to the sports and their participation puts a spark in everyone from the fans. They are two of the greatest players in history and we look forward to hosting them in Toronto,” concluded Hale. The National Bank Open tournament will start on August 6 and end on August 14.