Serena Williams and Venus Williams are set to make a blockbuster return to Wimbledon after being handed a wildcard entry into the women’s doubles draw for the 2026 Championships.
The Williams sisters, one of the most successful doubles pairings in tennis history, will reunite on the grass courts of the All England Club, adding one of the biggest emotional and sporting storylines to this year’s tournament. Wimbledon 2026 begins on June 29, with the women’s doubles competition starting later in the opening week.
The return is particularly significant for Serena, who had stepped away from competitive tennis after the 2022 US Open. At the time, she did not describe it as a formal retirement, instead framing it as an “evolution” away from the sport. Her comeback during the grass-court season has therefore generated major attention, and the Wimbledon doubles wildcard now gives that comeback a far bigger stage.
For Venus, the return carries a different kind of weight. The 45-year-old has continued to make selective appearances on tour and remains closely associated with Wimbledon, where her singles and doubles achievements formed a defining part of her career. Partnering with Serena again brings back one of tennis’ most iconic family partnerships.
Williams sisters return to their Grand Slam fortress
Wimbledon has been one of the most important stages in the Williams sisters’ careers. Together, Serena and Venus have won the women’s doubles title at the All England Club six times - in 2000, 2002, 2008, 2009, 2012 and 2016. Their understanding as a pair, built on instinct, power and years of shared experience, made them almost impossible to contain at their peak.
{{/usCountry}}Wimbledon has been one of the most important stages in the Williams sisters’ careers. Together, Serena and Venus have won the women’s doubles title at the All England Club six times - in 2000, 2002, 2008, 2009, 2012 and 2016. Their understanding as a pair, built on instinct, power and years of shared experience, made them almost impossible to contain at their peak.
{{/usCountry}}Overall, the sisters have won 14 Grand Slam doubles titles together. That record sits alongside their extraordinary singles careers and remains one of the strongest examples of sibling dominance in modern sport. Their doubles partnership was never just a side act to their individual greatness; it was a separate legacy of its own.
Their last doubles appearance together came at the 2022 US Open. That tournament also marked Serena’s final competitive appearance before she stepped away from the sport. Nearly four years later, the prospect of seeing the sisters on the same side of the net again gives Wimbledon a nostalgia-heavy but genuinely competitive storyline.
As things stand, the wildcard is for doubles only. Neither Serena nor Venus has been confirmed for the singles draw through a wildcard. That keeps the spotlight firmly on their reunion as a doubles pair rather than on an individual singles comeback.
Serena has already started her return through doubles competition this grass season. She recently played at Queen’s Club, where she partnered Victoria Mboko. The pair won their opening match before their campaign ended early because of Mboko’s injury. Serena has also been preparing further on grass, making the Wimbledon wildcard a natural next step in her comeback.
The Williams sisters’ return will not only attract tennis fans who have followed them for decades, but also younger viewers who know their legacy more than their live dominance. For Wimbledon, it is a rare sporting moment where history, nostalgia and competition meet on the same court.
Whether they can mount a deep run remains to be seen. But their presence alone changes the feel of the doubles draw. Serena and Venus Williams are not simply returning to Wimbledon; they are returning to a court where they repeatedly turned sisterhood into silverware.