The 2026 US Open is underway, with Serena Williams making an appearance in all but one of the categories. The American competed in mixed doubles alongside defending men’s singles champion Carlos Alcaraz and will also feature in the women’s doubles draw with her sister, Venus Williams. However, she opted against accepting a wildcard in singles, admitting that she was not fully fit to take part.
Serena Williams Explains Her Decision To Skip US Open 2026 Singles
After months of teasing a return, Serena Williams finally stepped back onto the competitive tennis court during the 2026 grass-court swing. She followed a couple of doubles outings with a singles appearance at Wimbledon after receiving a wildcard.
The American delivered a competitive display against Maya Joint but ultimately suffered a three-set defeat to the 24-years-younger Australian. Serena was subsequently set to reunite with Venus as a wildcard entry but had to pull out after tweaking her right knee during her singles match.
With the swelling gradually subsiding, Serena began her rehabilitation and eventually returned to training. The Williams sisters were subsequently awarded a doubles wildcard at the Cincinnati Open, reuniting on court for the first time in four years. They fell to Marta Kostyuk and Peyton Stearns in a closely contested match, but the narrow loss offered plenty of encouragement and seemed to rekindle their confidence as a team.
Serena Williams soon secured a blockbuster mixed doubles wildcard with Carlos Alcaraz for the US Open, but a singles comeback remained off the table. Speaking to ESPN’s Malika Andrews, Serena revealed why:
“I entered myself at Wimbledon, and I just didn’t have time to recover, unfortunately. And I just didn’t want to take any opportunities away from someone in terms of getting a wildcard if I wasn’t able to compete in a way that I knew I could.”
Despite sitting out the singles draw this time, the 23-time Grand Slam singles champion confirmed that she hopes to compete in the category again in the future. “I’ll probably play again; I have to. After some of those returns, I think I need to play,” she said. “This isn’t something permanent, obviously.”
Williams and Alcaraz won their opening match against doubles specialists Erin Routliffe and Lloyd Glasspool. Their campaign, however, came to an end in the quarterfinals against Belinda Bencic and Flavio Cobolli.
Wins and losses are no longer Serena Williams’ primary focus, though. The tennis legend said she wants to compete at a high level and perform in front of her daughters, Olympia, who turns nine on September 1, and three-year-old Adira.
“I really want my children to see me play at a different age. I hope to show them that anything is possible; you can do anything at any age as long as you work hard and put some effort and dedication behind it.”
In fact, it was Olympia herself who played a key role in bringing the Williams sisters back together on court. “I asked her; I was like, ‘Who do you think I should play with?’ And she looked at me, and she’s like, ‘You need to play with Aunty Vivi. She said it so clear and so calm.”
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Together, the Williams sisters have amassed 22 titles, including 14 Grand Slam crowns in women’s doubles. They will now bid for their third US Open title, having lifted the trophy in 1999 and 2009.
