Former champion Venus Williams will be back at the U.S. Open after being given a wild card into the Grand Slam tournament on Wednesday.

The 41-year-old has won seven grand slam titles, including the U.S. Open at Flushing Meadows in New York in 2000 and 2001. But with her current Women's Tennis Association (WTA) ranking of No. 112, she has fallen outside the top 104 who received direct entry into the women's main draw.

Williams hasn't missed the U.S. Open since 2006, when she was sidelined by a left wrist injury. She reached her last major semifinal there in 2017.

Her sister, 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams, missed the Tokyo Olympics due to a leg injury and aimed at her 24th victory at Flushing Meadows.

In another twist, defending champion Dominic Thiem of Austria has pulled out of the U.S. Open, saying on Wednesday he will miss the rest of the year because of a right wrist injury.

Thiem was hurt in June while playing in the Mallorca Open and said the pain returned last week after he hit a ball during training. Doctors recommended he wear a wrist splint for another six weeks before resuming training.

The No. 6-ranked Thiem made the announcement in a social media post, and a statement from his management company described the injury as a detachment of the posterior sheath of the ulnar side of the right wrist.

"I'm very disappointed not to be able to defend my U.S. Open title and to miss the rest of the season," the 27-year-old from Austria said in the statement. "But I know this is what I have to do. I have a long career ahead of me, so I will only come back once I'm fully recovered and in good shape to compete."

Meanwhile, at the Western & Southern Open, Naomi Osaka came back from a set down to defeat Coco Gauff 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 on Wednesday. It was Naomi's first WTA Tour event since the French Open in late May.

Citing discomfort with post-match news conferences, the four-time Grand Slam champion withdrew from Roland Garros and skipped Wimbledon. She was eliminated in the round of 16 at the Tokyo Olympics after lighting the Olympic cauldron in her native Japan.

The 23-year-old Osaka was outspoken on many social issues and announced during a pre-match media session on August 17 that she would be donating her tournament prize money to earthquake-ravaged Haiti, her father's homeland.

In other matches, top-ranked Ashleigh Barty of Australia needed a second-set tiebreaker to beat Heather Watson of Britain, 6-4, 7-6 (3) in a match postponed by rain. Three-time Grand Slam champion Angelique Kerber of Germany upset fourth-seeded Elina Svitolina of Ukraine.

Simona Halep of Romania, the 12th seed, withdrew with a right thigh injury.

Men's top seed Daniil Medvedev of Russia cruised to a 6-2, 6-2 win in 59 minutes over wild-card holder American Mackenzie McDonald, and three-time Grand Slam champion Andy Murray of Britain was eliminated by ninth-seeded Hubert Hurkacz of Poland.

(With input from agencies)