Venus Williams to return in 's-Hertogenbosch

Former World No.1 Venus Williams will return to action on grass courts next month after receiving a wild card for the Libéma Open, 's-Hertogenbosch, which begins on June 12.

Williams, 42, has not competed since reaching the second round of Auckland in January, where she defeated Katie Volynets before losing to Zhu Lin. A hamstring injury she sustained there forced her to withdraw from the Australian Open.

Five-time Wimbledon champion Williams will be making her tournament debut in 's-Hertogenbosch; indeed, it will be the first time in her storied career that she will play in the Netherlands. Currently ranked No.701, Williams last competed in singles on grass at Wimbledon 2021, where she reached the second round, though she participated in the mixed doubles at Wimbledon last year.

The WTA 250 event is one of the longest-running on the calendar, having had its first edition in 1996. Previous champions include Justine Henin, Martina Hingis and Mary Pierce.

As well as Williams, two further Grand Slam titlists are on the 2023 's-Hertogenbosch entry list: two-time Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka and former US Open winner Bianca Andreescu. Other notable names entered include Belinda Bencic, Zheng Qinwen and defending champion Ekaterina Alexandrova.