Wozniacki, Venus, Isner among US Open wildcard entries

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 28 August 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