Serena and Venus Williams are given a standing ovation as they walk out onto Arthur Ashe at the US Open in what could be their last ever doubles match together
Serena and Venus Williams received a standing ovation as they walked out on court at the US Open for their first-round doubles match Thursday night.
The superstar sisters were given the primetime slot on Arthur Ashe after they revealed they’d be playing together via a wildcard last week.
The match carries more significance than usual as it could be their final doubles match together, given Serena is set to ‘evolve’ away from tennis after the Grand Slam at Flushing Meadows.
The sisters have joined forces in the US Open doubles draw for the first time since 2014 when they faced Lucie Hradecka and Linda Noskova.
Older sister Venus should arrive well-rested after making a quiet exit from the singles draw on Tuesday but Serena may be more weary after a sensational victory over world No. 2 Anett Kontaveit in the singles competition on Wednesday.
Serena and Venus Williams received a standing ovation as they walked out on court Thursday
The sisters received a warm reception from the fans inside Arthur Ashe at the US Open
Serena faces a potentially tough stretch of days ahead, with a third-round match against Australian Alja Tomljanovic on Friday night – meaning the further she progresses in either event, the more consecutive days she will be playing.
Venus and Serena haven’t played together in Grand Slam doubles events since the 2018 French Open. They haven’t played doubles in Flushing Meadows since 2014.
When the sisters have made the finals of Grand Slam doubles, they have been perfect – going 14 for 14 in the final round including two wins in Queens in 1999 and 2009.
Additionally, the sisters have won three Olympic gold medals in doubles at the games of 2000 in Sydney, 2008 in Beijing, and 2012 in London.
The sisters have join forces in the US Open doubles draw for the first time since 2014
Serena, 40, announced she’s ‘evolving’ from tennis earlier this month, meaning her home Grand Slam is set to be her last.
Williams called time on her career, announcing her decision in next month’s Vogue, although a firm date on when she will go has not been confirmed.
The news came after the American superstar recorded her first win in 430 days but she said in the article: ‘It’s the hardest thing that I could ever imagine. I don’t want it to be over, but at the same time I’m ready for what’s next.’
Williams is not using the word ‘retirement.’ ‘I have never liked the word,’ Williams wrote in the latest issue of Vogue.
‘It doesn’t feel like a modern word to me. I’ve been thinking of this as a transition, but I want to be sensitive about how I use that word, which means something very specific and important to a community of people.
Venus and Serena haven’t played together in Grand Slam doubles since 2018 French Open
‘Maybe the best word to describe what I’m up to is evolution,’ she continued. ‘I’m here to tell you that I’m evolving away from tennis, toward other things that are important to me.’
Serena not only wants to spend more time with her husband, Alexis, and their five-year-old, Olympia, but the multiple-time champion revealed that the couple is trying to have another child in the near future.
‘In the last year, Alexis and I have been trying to have another child, and we recently got some information from my doctor that put my mind at ease and made me feel that whenever we’re ready, we can add to our family,’ Williams wrote.
‘I definitely don’t want to be pregnant again as an athlete. I need to be two feet into tennis or two feet out.’
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