Record-breaking sisters Serena Williams and Venus Williams‘ doubles comeback might not have gone according to plan.
The iconic siblings returned to the court together after nearly four years on Monday. The reunion was expected to happen much earlier. However, it had to be postponed after Serena suffered an injury.
Despite the loss, fans are still excited to see their favorite duo back on the court and for what more might come.
Grand Slam champions Serena and Venus made an iconic return to the tennis arena at the Cincinnati Open. However, their journey came to a halt almost immediately.
The tennis sisters lost to Marta Kostyuk and Peyton Stearns, 6-2, 1-6, 1-0 (8). After losing the first set, the Williams sisters fought back to win the second set, forcing a third-set tiebreak.
Kostyuk and Stearns won the first six points, with the Williamses rallying to cut the deficit to one. Unfortunately, the match was lost when Venus double-faulted on the final point.
The icons of the court, however, did not seem fazed by the loss but instead relished their comeback.
Venus shared that they waited a long time for the return, adding that they would eventually find their way to each other.
“We give each other so much grace and encouragement. This is our first time playing together in forever, and I think we’re really getting [into] our stride,” she said during a press conference, per USA Today.
Serena Williams Knee Injury Postponed Venus Reunion At Wimbledon
The siblings’ reunion was set to happen earlier in July of this year at Wimbledon following their wildcard entry into the championships. The match was set against Camilla Osorio and Solana Sierra.
However, the pair had to take a step back after Serena sustained a right knee injury during her singles comeback.
As reported by The Blast, the setback happened during Serena’s match against Maya Joint. Late in the first round, the 44-year-old tweaked her knee, and the match resulted in a loss to the Australian.
Serena was excused from mandatory post-match media duties by Wimbledon and WTA medical staff, with her agent saying she was doing everything she could to be ready for the next match. Unfortunately, she couldn’t make it.
Serena Williams Is Still In The Game Following Wimbledon Injury
4Due to her injury, the younger Williams sister had to withdraw from her highly anticipated doubles match with Venus. This decision left fans questioning the athlete’s future in the sport, wondering if this was finally retirement for the tennis superstar.
Rennae Stubbs, one of Serena’s coaches, however, put the rumors to rest by confirming the star was not yet dropping her racket.
The coach explained that the main goal was to get Serena back into practice as soon as possible. “She intends to keep playing: the U.S. Open as well,” Stubbs assured, according to The Blast.
Serena Williams Went Back On The Court To Prepare For US Open
4The athlete herself further confirmed that she was not quitting just yet with a post on her social media that showed she was getting ready for the US Open.
The Blast reported that in an Instagram Story post, Serena was seen in athletic wear comprising a white shirt and blue leggings paired with white sneakers and a face cap. She was casually hitting a tennis ball back and forth on the court.
This came as reassurance to fans that the tennis legend is back in action.
Serena Williams Slammed Drug Testing System
4Before her Wimbledon four-year bounce-back, Serena had expressed her frustration at the strict drug testing rules athletes were required to follow. The athlete had to re-enter the sport’s formal doping testing program.
The rules required players to share their locations every day for surprise tests, which Serena referred to as “unprofessional,” because it didn’t account for her busy schedule.
“It’s grueling. They changed the rules now. I didn’t know some of the rules. So apparently if you miss a test outside of your window, it still counts as missed,” she lamented, per The Blast.
The International Tennis Integrity Agency clarified that the rules have been the same for a long time. They also shared that a missed test only resulted in a penalty strike if the tester failed to find the player in the exact one-hour time slot the player selected.
