At a combined age of 90, the Williams sisters remain a formidable force at Wimbledon, and opponents would be wise to take note.
With a staggering total of 21 titles on the prestigious grass of the All England Club, Serena and Venus Williams are gearing up for yet another shot at glory in singles and doubles.
This week, Wimbledon organizers announced that the dynamic duo has secured a wild-card entry in the doubles event, just two weeks ahead of the tournament.
The announcement follows 44-year-old Serena’s recent return to the circuit after a nearly four-year hiatus from professional tennis.
Venus, who turns 46 on Wednesday, continues to compete sporadically, adding to the excitement surrounding their upcoming appearance.
As a pair, the sisters have clinched 14 Grand Slam doubles titles, of which six were achieved at Wimbledon—starting with their debut win in 2000 and most recently in 2016. Their initial two triumphs at Wimbledon came as wild cards in 2000 and 2002.
Their illustrious history at the All England Club features seven singles titles for Serena and five for Venus, in addition to their six doubles titles. Serena also boasts a mixed doubles championship with Max Mirnyi in 1998 and a singles gold medal at the 2012 London Olympics, along with a doubles gold alongside her sister at the same event. This impressive tally of 21 accolades reflects their dominance on the grass courts.
With their six doubles victories, the Williams sisters tie for the most titles in women’s doubles at Wimbledon, a record they share with legends Suzanne Lenglen and Elizabeth Ryan, who dominated the tournament from 1919-1925.
The last time the sisters teamed up in doubles was at the 2022 U.S. Open, where they faced an early exit after four and a half years apart.
In her first competitive outing since 2022, Serena partnered with Victoria Mboko at Queen’s Club in London and secured a victory, though they later had to withdraw due to an injury to Mboko.
Serena is set to compete in doubles alongside Karolina Muchova at the Berlin Open later this week.
Singles Wild-Card Spot Available
Serena has not excluded the possibility of returning to singles competition as well, leaving one of the eight wild-card slots for women’s singles “to be announced.”
Recent French Open finalist Maja Chwalinska has secured a singles wild card, as have six British players: Harriet Dart, Alicia Dudeney, Hannah Klugman, Mika Stojsavljevic, Katie Swan, and Mimi Xu.
Wawrinka, Dimitrov, and Kyrgios
Men’s singles wild cards have been awarded to Stan Wawrinka and Grigor Dimitrov, along with four British players: Jacob Fearnley, Arthur Fery, Jack Pinnington Jones, and Toby Samuel.
Wawrinka, a three-time Grand Slam champion whose best Wimbledon run reached the quarterfinals twice, has announced plans to retire at the end of the year.
Dimitrov, who led eventual champion Jannik Sinner by two sets in the round of 16 last year before retiring due to an injured pectoral muscle, currently ranks No. 169.
Two additional men’s singles wild cards are still available.
In men’s doubles, a wild card has been granted to the duo of Alexander Bublik and Nick Kyrgios, who was the singles finalist in 2022.
Matteo Berrettini, a Wimbledon finalist in 2021, was notably absent from the entry list despite a strong performance at the French Open. Though he ranks No. 49, he was outside the top 100 when the Wimbledon entry list was composed. However, he may still secure a place in the main draw due to withdrawals.
Wimbledon is set to commence on June 29.
