Serena and Venus Williams receive Wimbledon doubles wildcard

Serena Williams is heading back to Wimbledon in doubles alongside Venus after the All England Club handed the sisters a wild card on Tuesday, a move that instantly lifts the tournament’s star power and competitive intrigue. Serena, 44, had been out of professional tennis since 2022 before her comeback appearance at Queen’s Club in London, while Venus turns 46 on Wednesday.

The pairing brings back one of the sport’s defining acts. Serena and Venus last played doubles together at the 2022 U.S. Open, and before that their previous appearance as a team came 4½ years earlier. Together, they have won 14 Grand Slam doubles titles, including six at Wimbledon. Their first Wimbledon doubles crown came in 2000 and their last in 2016, a span that maps their longevity as well as their dominance on grass.

Serena’s return has carried an obvious pull beyond the scoreboard. She teased the comeback on social media with the line, “Good news travels fast,” and then took another step onto grass by partnering Canada’s Victoria Mboko at Queen’s Club before receiving the Wimbledon invitation. Serena’s last WTA Tour appearance came in September 2022, so the doubles draw gives her a controlled route back into competitive tennis at the sport’s most watched tournament.

Wimbledon’s own wild-card rules underline why the move makes sense both sporting and commercially. The Championships say wild cards have been allocated since 1977 and are usually given to players whose rankings are not high enough for direct entry, often on the basis of past Wimbledon performance or to increase British interest. Serena and Venus are already listed by Wimbledon as ladies’ doubles wild-card champions in 2000 and 2002, a reminder that this is not just a nostalgia act but a return to a stage where they have already delivered.

The timing matters too. Wimbledon 2026 begins on June 29 and runs for 14 days through July 12, with one singles wild-card place still to be announced. The sisters will not arrive as favorites in the way they once did, but on grass, with 14 Grand Slam doubles titles between them and six at the All England Club, Serena and Venus remain a marquee attraction with a believable path to making noise in the draw.