Williams Sisters Still in Doubles Draw
Wimbledon organisers are giving Serena Williams as much time as possible to recover from a knee injury and compete in the women's doubles event alongside her sister Venus, tournament director Jamie Baker said on Friday. Serena, 44, suffered the injury during her first-round singles defeat against Australia's Maya Joint on Tuesday, marking her return to singles action after a four-year retirement.
Delayed Start for Doubles Campaign
The women's doubles first round was originally scheduled for Thursday and Friday, but the Williams sisters were notably absent from both orders of play as Serena battles to recover. Baker confirmed that the pair remains in the draw and could begin their bid for a seventh Wimbledon doubles crown together on Saturday.
"We are giving her as much time, obviously we want her to play if she possibly can," Baker told reporters. He denied that delaying the sisters' entry could cause scheduling issues later in the fortnight. "In terms of the days, it's actually a guideline, that's what we're hoping to do based on trying to get the tournament finished. There are actually sometimes exceptional circumstances, whether it's weather or injuries. We wouldn't do that if we felt that it was putting the rest of the competition in any type of danger of putting it back."
Global Stars and Safety Considerations
Baker also addressed the decision on which court Serena and Venus would play, citing crowd numbers and safety as major factors. "Serena and Venus, they're massive global stars, so there's a lot of people who want to see," he said. "Numbers of people and safety would be a huge consideration when deciding on which court they would play."
The Williams sisters have won 30 Grand Slam singles titles between them, with Serena claiming 23 and Venus seven. Serena's singles return ended in a three-set loss to Joint on Centre Court, her first singles match since the 2022 US Open.
