Serena and Venus Williams are heading back to Wimbledon together, giving this year’s Championships one of its biggest storylines before the draw is even made. The All England Club announced Tuesday that the Williams sisters have received a wildcard into the women’s doubles draw for Wimbledon 2026, setting up another reunion for one of the most successful doubles teams in tennis history. The tournament begins June 29.
For Serena, 44, the wildcard marks another step in a comeback that has shifted from curiosity to reality over the past two weeks. She recently returned to competition after nearly four years away from professional tennis, playing doubles at Queen’s Club and then adding Berlin to her grass-court schedule. Venus, who turns 46 on Wednesday, has continued to compete sporadically and will now join her younger sister at the All England Club.
Together, the Williams sisters have won 14 Grand Slam doubles titles, including six at Wimbledon. Their last Wimbledon doubles title came in 2016, and their last Grand Slam doubles appearance together was at the 2022 US Open.
The wildcard does not place Serena in the singles draw. She has not confirmed a singles comeback at Wimbledon, and neither Serena nor Venus was included among the initial women’s singles wildcards. One women’s singles wildcard remains to be announced, leaving room for speculation but no formal indication that Serena will play singles.
The Williams announcement was part of a broader first batch of Wimbledon wildcards that added several major names to the singles fields. On the men’s side, Stan Wawrinka and Grigor Dimitrov were awarded main-draw wildcards, giving the tournament two veteran names with deep Grand Slam resumes.
Wawrinka, a three-time Grand Slam champion, has twice reached the Wimbledon quarterfinals but has never made the semifinals at the All England Club. Dimitrov returns after a painful exit last year, when he led eventual champion Jannik Sinner by two sets in the fourth round before retiring with a pectoral injury.
On the women’s side, French Open finalist Maja Chwalinska also received a singles wildcard, giving the 24-year-old a place in the Wimbledon main draw after her breakthrough run in Paris. Her inclusion gives the women’s field another intriguing storyline heading into the grass-court major.
Wimbledon traditionally uses wildcards to reward British players, returning stars, injury comebacks and players whose ranking does not fully reflect their current profile or recent results. This year’s first list does all of that, but the headline is unmistakable: Serena and Venus Williams are coming back to Centre Court’s orbit, and Wimbledon now has another major story before the first ball is struck.
