Tennis legends return: Williams sisters to compete at Wimbledon 2026
Williams sisters to play at Wimbledon 2026 (photo: Getty Images)
Legendary sisters Serena and Venus Williams will officially compete at Wimbledon 2026. The organizers have awarded the American superstars a wild card in the women’s doubles draw. The most decorated doubles duo of the modern era will step onto the court together for the first time in ten years, according to BBC Sport.
Family pact and inspiration from her daughter
For 44-year-old Serena Williams, who has 23 Grand Slam singles titles to her name, this trip to London marks a continuation of a sensational comeback.
After a four-year break, when most fans believed her appearance at the 2022 US Open was the final chapter of her career, the younger of the sisters has once again picked up a racket.
Last week she warmed up at the Queen’s tournament, and these days she competed in Berlin alongside Karolina Muchova, where, however, she lost to experienced doubles players Giuliana Olmos and Erin Routliffe.
According to Serena, two factors pushed her to return to the court: her older sister’s successful performance at last year’s US Open and an honest conversation with her daughter.
“I had no intention of actually being here today, to be perfectly honest with you. My daughter Olympia told me I should play with Venus. She's always right. I think I was really motivated by what Venus was doing that year in the [US] Open doubles. I thought she played really well,” said the former world No. 1.
At the moment, neither sister is entered in the singles tournament, although the organizers have left one vacant wild card spot, with the recipient to be announced later.
It should be noted that 45-year-old Venus has lost all seven of her singles matches this season, but in April, she won a doubles match at the Madrid Open alongside British player Katie Boulter.
Historic background of the Williams sisters duo:
- They are one of the greatest doubles teams in history, winning 14 Grand Slam doubles titles together.
- At Wimbledon alone, the sisters have lifted the doubles trophy six times.
- Their last win on London grass together was 10 years ago — in 2016, while their last match as a team was at the 2022 US Open.
Other organizers’ decisions and tournament start
The announcement of wild cards brought not only joy but also dramatic news for local fans.
Former British No. 1, 36-year-old Dan Evans, who is playing his farewell season on tour, surprisingly missed out on a singles wild card.
Instead, organizers chose to honor other veterans: a main draw spot went to three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka, who is also set to retire at the end of the year. Alongside him, Bulgarian player Grigor Dimitrov missed out on qualifying.
In the women’s draw, the prestigious wild card was awarded to Maja Chwalińska — organizers praised her strong performance at the recent Roland Garros, where she reached the final.
The Wimbledon 2026 grass-court Grand Slam will begin on Monday, June 29, and run until July 12.
Last year’s Wimbledon singles champions were Carlos Alcaraz and Iga Świątek.
