Tennis legends Serena and Venus Williams are set to reunite on court after receiving a wildcard entry into the women’s doubles draw at the Cincinnati Open, raising excitement ahead of the final Grand Slam of the season.
The iconic sisters, who have won 14 Grand Slam doubles titles together, will compete at the prestigious WTA event beginning next week in Ohio.
Their return comes after plans to reunite at Wimbledon were cut short when Serena was forced to withdraw because of a knee injury suffered during her comeback to professional tennis.
Serena, 44, made her highly anticipated return to the sport this summer after spending four years in retirement. However, her comeback suffered an early setback as she exited the singles competition at Wimbledon before withdrawing from the doubles event she had hoped to play alongside Venus.
Speaking after her withdrawal, Serena admitted she was devastated to miss the opportunity.
“I’m heartbroken to have to withdraw,” she said. “Coming back to compete again has been a gift, and the opportunity to play alongside Venus once more meant the world to me. I did everything I could to be ready, but unfortunately my knee just isn’t ready to compete.”
The Cincinnati Open now offers the sisters another chance to rekindle one of the greatest doubles partnerships in tennis history. Their appearance is also expected to serve as valuable preparation for the US Open, which begins on August 30, where Serena could feature in both the singles and doubles competitions if her recovery continues positively.
The Williams sisters last played doubles together at the 2022 US Open, where they were defeated in the opening round by Czech duo Lucie Hradecka and Linda Noskova. Since then, Noskova has gone on to claim the biggest title of her career after winning the Wimbledon women’s singles championship earlier this year.
Their doubles record remains one of the finest in tennis history. Serena and Venus have captured 14 Grand Slam doubles crowns, including six Wimbledon titles, while also winning three Olympic gold medals together in Sydney 2000, Beijing 2008 and London 2012.
Serena completed a memorable Olympic double in London by also winning the singles gold medal.
Meanwhile, Venus, who recently celebrated her 46th birthday, has also been awarded a wildcard into the Cincinnati singles draw. The seven-time Grand Slam singles champion will be aiming to secure her first singles victory of the 2026 season after suffering first-round exits in each of her eight tournaments this year.
With the US Open just weeks away, the return of the Williams sisters has added another compelling storyline to the North American hard-court swing, as fans eagerly await another chapter in one of tennis’ most celebrated partnerships.