Serena and Venus Williams made a losing return to doubles at the Cincinnati Open on Monday evening, their first match together in four years. The sisters fell to Marta Kostyuk and Peyton Stearns in three sets, losing 6-2 1-6 [10-8].
A Long-Awaited Reunion
Serena had 'evolved away' from tennis at the 2022 US Open but came out of retirement earlier this year, playing doubles at the Queen's Club and in Berlin before returning to singles at Wimbledon. The sisters were set to team up at SW19 but withdrew when Serena injured her knee in singles, a setback she described as a 'traumatic experience'.
After the defeat in Cincinnati, Serena said winning was not the priority. 'Winning is obviously great. But I think in this position, [we're] just having fun. I didn't come out here to win this tournament,' the 44-year-old said. 'Obviously, I wanted to do the best I could do, but I think having fun and also just seeing how we are and how we feel out there. Being out there with the fans, too, is just really good, just to give them another opportunity to see us play, which is really cool.'
Injury Struggles
At Wimbledon, Serena lost in three sets to Maya Joint and did not complete her post-match press conference. It later emerged she had sustained a knee injury and was excused from media duties. She shared photos showing fluid removed from her knee.
Reflecting on the injury, Serena added: 'That was a little traumatic experience for me. It took me two hours to leave the locker room that night and it's been a long recovery, which is something I never thought I'd say because I never thought I'd be here sitting and talking to you all again. But, you know, what doesn't kill you make you stronger.'
Looking Ahead
Serena did not play singles in Cincinnati this week, but Venus lost to qualifier Emiliana Arango in the first round. Both sisters are expected to compete at the US Open, though Serena gave little away about her plans. 'I've never really enjoyed the process, but I think this time I'm enjoying the process a little bit more than I ever have. It's kind of just having a different view of it,' she said. 'And it's also like this isn't for ever. This is like not long. So it's also just fun to know that too. And like I'm not playing every week. I'm not showing up every week and have kids. So it's a little bit different.'
