Serena Williams‘ much-discussed tennis comeback is officially a go. Accompanying her will be none other than her sister and former doubles partner, Venus Williams. The sisters will be returning to Wimbledon after they received a doubles wildcard on Tuesday of this week, marking one of the most exciting developments of the tournament thus far.
The news was celebrated on social media, with Wimbledon sharing a photo of Serena and Venus holding hands on the storied courts. “Back together, at Wimbledon,” reads the post’s caption.
“Serena and Venus Williams will compete in the Ladies’ Doubles at The Championships 2026.”
The post received support from fans, athletes, and celebrities. “OMFG YESSSS,” wrote Angel Reese, adding numerous emojis.
“They’re baaaack,” wrote Team USA.
© GettySerena has been building her fitness up with numerous games, making her comeback in doubles at the Queen’s Club Championship with Victoria Mboko, a Canadian teenage player. The two won their first match, but Mboko suffered a knee injury, ruling her out of Wimbledon.
Serena played with the Czech player Karolina Muchova at the Berlin Open earlier this week.
Wildcards make for some of the most exciting elements of these tournaments, handed to players whose ranking does not allow them automatic entry to the tournament. These entries are at times given to players with a high profile, who’ve been away from competitions due to injury. They also tend to be awarded to players from the home nation or who’ve played a significant role in a specific tournament.
Serena played her last Wimbledon match in 2022, with her introduced as a wildcard. She lost that match to the French player Harmony Tan.
Serena and Venus’ partnership through the years
© GettySerena and Venus Williams have built incredible careers in tennis individually, but their partnership is incredibly prolific. The two have won 14 Grand Slam titles together, with Wimbledon having a special place in their hearts: they’ve won six tournaments there. Their first win was in 2000 and their last in 2016.
The two last played together in 2022, at the US Open, where they lost their opening match. Serena discussed her comeback with her sister at the Berlin Open recently. “My daughter Olympia told me I should play with Venus. She’s always right, so I was like ‘damn’,” she said. “‘Mom, maybe you should play with Venus’. But she’s very serious, she knows. She’s very smart — she’s very wise, I think is another word.”
“So I said ‘You know, let’s see if we can do it’.”
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