Williams Sisters Receive Doubles Wildcard for Wimbledon
Serena and Venus Williams will reunite on the doubles court at Wimbledon this month after being granted a wildcard entry into the women’s doubles draw at the Championships.
The All England Club revealed its wildcard recipients on Tuesday morning, marking one of the most eagerly awaited announcements in recent years, particularly given Serena’s return to professional tennis this month following a four-year retirement.
Serena Williams, a seven-time Wimbledon singles champion, did not seek a singles wildcard for the tournament. The 44-year-old has remained noncommittal when questioned about a potential singles comeback. Venus Williams, who has won five Wimbledon singles titles, also did not receive a singles wildcard. Venus has been an active competitor on the professional tour since her debut in 1994, with breaks only due to health issues. She will celebrate her 46th birthday on Wednesday.
Additional Wildcard Recipients and Notable Decisions
The Wimbledon wildcard committee faced challenging decisions this year. Among the recipients is Maja Chwalinska, the Polish player who made headlines by reaching the French Open women’s singles final as a qualifier earlier this month. Despite not meeting the ranking cutoff for Wimbledon, which was determined before the French Open, Chwalinska will hold the unusual distinction of being both a wildcard and a seeded player at a Grand Slam event due to her significant rise in rankings. She is currently ranked No. 21.
Other wildcards were awarded to seasoned players including Stan Wawrinka, who plans to retire this year, and Grigor Dimitrov. Notably, Great Britain’s Dan Evans was not included on the initial wildcard list.
Serena’s Ongoing Comeback and Upcoming Matches
Serena Williams is set to advance her comeback later today by competing alongside Karolina Muchova of the Czech Republic, who is ranked No. 10 in singles, in the first round of the Berlin WTA tournament. They will face Erin Routliffe and Giuliana Olmos.
Serena made her return to competitive tennis last week at the Queen’s Club, where she won her opening doubles match partnering with Victoria Mboko against Erin Routliffe and Nichole Melichar Martinez.
Unfortunately, Mboko was compelled to withdraw from their subsequent match and the remainder of the grass-court season after suffering a medial cruciate ligament tear.
Williams Sisters’ Doubles Legacy
The Williams sisters are among the most accomplished doubles teams in tennis history. Together, they have secured 14 Grand Slam doubles titles, ranking as the joint-second highest number of titles won by a team in the Open Era, including six women’s doubles titles at Wimbledon—the most in the Open Era.
Additionally, they have earned three Olympic gold medals in women’s doubles and have both held the No. 1 position in the WTA doubles rankings.
