Serena and Venus Williams receive a last-minute wild card to play doubles at the U.S. Open

S erena and Venus Williams are heading back to the U.S. Open together, with the legendary sisters receiving a late invitation to compete in the women’s doubles draw at the 2026 tournament.

The United States Tennis Association confirmed Wednesday, Aug. 26, that the Williams sisters had been awarded a wild card.

The decision gives fans another opportunity to watch one of the most successful doubles partnerships in tennis history compete together on one of the sport’s biggest stages.

“ Serena and Venus Williams will receive a wild card entry into the 2026 US Open Women’s Doubles Championship, as the USTA announced US Open women’s and men’s doubles wild cards today,” the United States Tennis Association (USTA) said in a statement.

The announcement comes after a dramatic few months for Serena , who returned to Grand Slam singles competition this summer following a lengthy absence. The younger Williams sister had not played a Grand Slam singles match since 2022 before entering Wimbledon this year.

Her return to competitive tennis also included plans to reunite with Venus in doubles. Those plans were derailed when Serena suffered a knee injury during her singles campaign and subsequently withdrew from their scheduled doubles appearance.

Serena expressed her disappointment at missing the opportunity to play alongside her sister.

“Coming back to compete again has been a gift, and the opportunity to play alongside Venus once more meant the world to me. I did everything I could to be ready, but unfortunately my knee just isn’t ready to compete.”

The sisters ultimately got another chance to test themselves together at the Cincinnati Open on Aug. 17. It was their first doubles match as a team since 2022, although the comeback ended in the opening round when they were defeated by Marta Kostyuk and Peyton Stearns.

Now, their return to New York gives them a chance to build on that experience.

The Williams sisters are chasing another chapter in New York

The U.S. Open holds particular significance for Serena and Venus because their doubles record at the tournament is already part of their remarkable legacy.

The pair have captured the women's doubles championship at Flushing Meadows twice, winning in 1999 and again in 2009. Across the four Grand Slam tournaments, they have accumulated 14 women's doubles titles, including those two U.S. Open victories.

Their success was built on an unusual combination of athleticism, power and understanding developed over decades of playing together.

Their doubles partnership also became one of the defining features of the Williams sisters' careers, even as both established extraordinary individual records in singles.

Their 2026 appearance, however, arrives under very different circumstances.

Venus , 46, and Serena , who turns 45 in September, are no longer regular fixtures on the Grand Slam circuit.

Serena's return this season has therefore attracted considerable attention, while Venus has continued to make her own comeback attempts after dealing with injuries and extended periods away from competition.

For Serena, the U.S. Open will provide another opportunity to compete at an event that has played such an important role in her career. She won the singles title in New York six times, while Venus lifted the singles trophy twice.

The doubles wild card also means their reunion will take place in front of a home crowd that has watched the sisters transform women's tennis over several generations.

Their Cincinnati result showed that the pair will have work to do if they are to make a deep run. Nevertheless, the opportunity itself represents a significant moment.

After Wimbledon disappointment and a first-round loss in Cincinnati, the sisters now have another chance to share the court at a Grand Slam.

For tennis fans, it is an unexpected opportunity to see one of the sport's most iconic partnerships together once again. At the U.S. Open, Serena and Venus will attempt to add another chapter to a doubles story that began more than two decades ago.