Venus Williams takes wildcard into British WTA 250 event ahead of Wimbledon

• Tennis News
• Serena Williams

Venus Williams has accepted a main draw wildcard into a WTA 250 event in Birmingham, the tournament announced. Williams, 42, is set to make her second appearance on the grass courts of Birmingham - a tournament that starts on June 19th.

Williams, a seven-time Grand Slam champion, made her Birmingham debut in 2019. Back then, Williams won her opening two matches in Birmingham before losing to Ashleigh Barty in the quarterfinal. Four years after making her Birmingham debut, Williams is returning to the British tournament for her second appearance.

Williams set to return to action at the start of the grass season

Williams, who appeared in just four tournaments last year, started her 2023 season in the first week of the year in Auckland. There, Williams defeated Katie Volynets in the first round before suffering a hamstring injury during a round-of-16 loss to Zhu Lin.

After the Auckland loss, Williams withdrew from the Australian Open and returned her main draw wildcard to Tennis Australia. In February, Williams shared an update to fans, revealing that she contracted a hamstring injury in Auckland.

"I knew that it was going to be a bad injury. That's the point when I withdrew from the Australian Open. I had a wildcard and it was so awesome, but it wasn't for me and I wanted someone else to have that opportunity because I knew I wouldn't have a chance to play.

I knew that it was going to be a bad injury. That's the point when I withdrew from the Australian Open. I had a wildcard and it was so awesome, but it wasn't for me and I wanted someone else to have that opportunity because I knew I wouldn't have a chance to play," Williams said in February.

This week, Williams was announced as a participant of a WTA 250 grass tournament in 's-Hertogenbosch, which is starting on June 12. After 's-Hertogenbosch, Williams will also play in Birmingham. It remains to be seen how well Williams can do in her return from injury.