Seven-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams, 45, has accepted a wild-card invitation to play singles at this month’s Mubadala Citi DC Open, tournament organizers said Friday. The hard-court event in Washington, D.C., runs 21-27 July and will mark Williams’s first WTA appearance since a first-round defeat to Diana Shnaider at the Miami Open in March 2024. Williams, now listed as inactive and without a ranking on the WTA website, has not reached the later stages of a Grand Slam since 2017 but remains one of the sport’s most decorated players. Her return adds star power to a women’s field that is expected to include Jessica Pegula, Emma Navarro, Wimbledon finalist Amanda Anisimova, 2021 U.S. Open champion Emma Raducanu and four-time major winner Naomi Osaka. The former world No. 1 last played in Washington in 2022. In a statement released by tournament chairman Mark Ein, Williams said the city’s energy and history motivated her comeback. The DC Open will give her a chance to add to a résumé that features five Wimbledon and two U.S. Open singles titles, 14 Grand Slam doubles crowns and four Olympic gold medals.