Wimbledon tournament director Jamie Baker has confirmed he has bent the rules to allow Serena Williams a chance to compete in the women's doubles draw, while also citing security concerns for the Williams sisters. The seven-time Wimbledon champion made her return to SW19 on Tuesday night, losing her first-round singles match to Maya Joint. Williams has also entered the doubles draw with her sister Venus, but a troubling knee injury has cast serious doubt on her participation.
Rule Flexing for Doubles Schedule
All women's doubles first-round matches are normally scheduled to be completed on Thursday and Friday of the first week. However, Wimbledon bosses are planning to schedule Serena and Venus Williams' doubles tie on Saturday to give the 44-year-old the best possible chance to recover from her knee injury. "Obviously it is amazing to have Serena back," Baker said. "I was on Centre Court for quite a bit on Tuesday, I thought, considering she had no practice singles matches, it was an amazing level that she put out."
Baker added: "We are giving her as much time. Obviously we want her to play, if she possibly can. In terms of the days, it is a guideline. That is what we're hoping to do to try and get the tournament finished." He noted that exceptional circumstances, such as weather, injuries, or players competing in multiple events, occasionally require matches to be carried over. "It doesn't happen that often but occasionally you do get the odd match that carries over and we wouldn't do that if we felt that it was putting the competition in any kind of danger," he said.
Security Concerns and Show Court Scheduling
The Williams sisters will also be scheduled on a main show court—either Centre Court, Court 1, or Court 2—due to security concerns about placing them on an outside court. No other first-round doubles matches are usually placed on a main show court. "Serena and Venus, they are massive global stars so there is a lot of people that want to watch them," Baker said. "The scheduling is a balance between all the different matches that you have and the show courts at the start of the week are prioritised for the singles matches but we'll see how it shapes up tomorrow."
Baker emphasized that safety is a major consideration: "That is a major consideration with scheduling. Not just with Serena and Venus but any of our singles matches that we know have got a big following. The first thing we think about is the numbers at matches and the safety."
Injury Replacement Rules
If Serena pulls out due to injury, Venus, 46, will not be allowed to pick a new partner. Instead, the Williams sisters will be replaced by a lucky loser pair. This rule underscores the special accommodation being made for the iconic duo, as the tournament seeks to balance tradition with the demands of hosting global superstars.
