Serena Williams and Venus Williams have already made a mistake ahead of Wimbledon
At months of speculation, Serena Williams and Venus Williams have been confirmed to play doubles together at Wimbledon after they received a wildcard.
Both women have returned to the Tour in 2026, with Venus playing with the likes of Katie Boulter, Leylah Fernandez, and Ekaterina Alexandrova at various tournaments this year.
Serena, meanwhile, returned to doubles action at Queen’s alongside Victoria Mboko before playing with Karolina Muchova at the Berlin Open.
While it is exciting news that the Williams sisters will be back on the hallowed courts of Wimbledon, it’s hard not to think they have made an error ahead of the Grand Slam.
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Serena’s time at the Berlin Open came to an end in the first round against Erin Routliffe and Giuliana Olmos and the American does not have any other tournament before Wimbledon confirmed.
While she could potentially play doubles at Bad Homburg or Eastbourne in the week prior to Wimbledon, she will not be able to play alongside her sister.
Venus is set to pair with Alexandra Eala at Bad Homburg, so it’s confirmed that the sister pairing will be playing for the first time in nearly four years at Wimbledon.
With both women in their forties, it’s hard to see this being a good idea at all. The pair are exceptional doubles players, but as wildcards, they could play any of the top seeds in the tournament.
It’s difficult to understand why Serena did not opt to play doubles at Queen’s and the Berlin Open with her sister if the goal was to play Wimbledon all along.
If that was the goal, then why did Venus sign up to play doubles with Alex Eala the week before Wimbledon?
It’s strange scheduling from the sisters, but it does further prove that Wimbledon will not be the be all and end all for the multi-time Grand Slam champions.
They have teased that more could be in the offing, with several reports suggesting the pair could play doubles on home soil at the 2026 US Open.
In fact, there has even been suggestion that Venus could retire at Flushing Meadows this year, four years after her sister announced her ‘evolution’ away from competitive tennis.
Whatever happens in the coming months, it’s hard not to think the legendary pairing have made life tough for themselves with their scheduling ahead of their Wimbledon comeback.
Wimbledon is set to begin on the 29th June, with the doubles usually starting in the latter part of the first week. Whenever their first round match takes place, it will surely be one of the biggest attraction of the entire Grand Slam.
