Former U.S. Open champions Venus Williams and Dominic Thiem were handed wild card entries into this year's tournament, the United States Tennis Association (USTA) said Wednesday.
Other Americans, along with Williams, getting wild cards are former Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin, CoCo Vandeweghe, Elizabeth Mandlik, Peyton Stearns and 17-year-old Eleana Yu.
American men gaining direct entry into the main draw via wild cards include Sam Querrey, Emilio Nava, JJ Wolf, Ben Shelton and Learner Tien.
This year's tournament will run from Aug. 29 to Sept. 11.
The 42-year-old Williams, a two-time champion at Flushing Meadows, returns to the U.S. Open for the first time since 2020. Her sister Serena, the winner of 23 Grand Slam singles titles, could bring the curtain down on her remarkable career in New York.
Serena Williams announced her forthcoming retirement last week in Toronto, saying she was "evolving away from tennis," although she has not specifically said the U.S. Open will be her final tournament.
Coming back from an ankle injury that has sidelined her for much of the season, Kenin, the 2020 Australian Open winner, has seen her world ranking drop from No. 4 to No. 412 and she has not competed at the U.S. Open since 2020.
Austrian Thiem, who rallied from two sets down against Alexander Zverev to win the 2020 U.S. Open, is also returning from a long injury layoff that has seen his world ranking drop to No. 228.