by Francis Akhalbey, Face2FaceAfrica.com
The organizers of the Cincinnati Open on Monday announced that Serena Williams and her sister, Venus, will be doubles partners at the tournament.
The Cincinnati Open is scheduled to take place from August 8 to August 23. The organizers said the Williams sisters received a doubles wild card entry into the tournament. Venus was also awarded a singles wild card entry.
The last time Serena, 44, and Venus, 46, played together in a doubles tournament was at the 2022 US Open. This will also be the first time that the sisters will be partnering in a doubles tournament at the Cincinnati Open.
“As a doubles team, the Williams sisters have won 14 Major titles and three Olympic gold medals,” the organizers of the Cincinnati Open said in a statement.
The statement added: “Venus Williams owns a 12-10 Cincinnati Open record, having reached the semifinals in 2012 and quarterfinals in 2019. The 46-year-old first played on the WTA Tour in 1994, and has won 49 career singles titles, including seven Majors and the 2000 Olympic gold medal. She held the WTA No. 1 ranking for 11 weeks.”
Serena and Venus were initially set to team up as doubles partners at Wimbledon after they received a wild card entry into the tournament. But they were unable to compete after Serena sustained an injury.
“I’m heartbroken to have to withdraw from doubles. Coming back to compete again has been a gift, and the opportunity to play alongside @venuswilliams 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,” Serena posted on Instagram after she withdrew from the tournament.
“I’m especially grateful to tournament director, Jamie Baker, and the entire tournament team for giving me every opportunity to play here. Thank you to the fans for your incredible support and for making this comeback so meaningful…All I can say is stay tuned to a city near you…”
She added: “The photo of the syringes shows the fluid they drained from my knee after my singles match…yikes! The good news is my knee shouldn’t swell or collect that much fluid again. The bad news is that, as hard as I tried, I just wasn’t able to get it ready for doubles.”
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