Venus and Serena Williams reunited for the women’s doubles event at the 2026 US Open, four years after they last took the court together in New York, when Serena was competing in what was expected to be her final professional tournament.
The pair came agonizingly close to pulling off a remarkable win, but they ultimately fell short against Chan Hao-Ching and Maya Joint. However, it was the decision the Williams sisters made after the defeat that has drawn scrutiny from the tennis community.
Why Venus and Serena Williams Are Facing Criticism After Their US Open Exit
Venus and Serena Williams made a slow start to their opening women’s doubles match, as Chan and Joint clinched the first set 6-3. However, the American pair delighted the passionate home crowd by edging a closely contested second-set tiebreak to force a decider.
Despite trailing 1-4 in the third set, the Williams sisters fought back strongly to level the score and send the match into a super tiebreak. The duo appeared poised for an impressive comeback win after racing to a 5-0 lead, but several costly errors allowed Chan and Joint to bounce back and secure a 6-3, 6-7(6), 7-6 [10-7] victory.
Despite the narrow loss, Venus and Serena were all smiles as they acknowledged the crowd’s cheers while leaving Arthur Ashe Stadium.
No matter the result, always good to see Serena and Venus competing 💙 pic.twitter.com/NwbU9DS7aq
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 5, 2026
However, their post-match thoughts remained a mystery, as tennis journalist Ben Rothenberg revealed that the US Open had informed reporters that the Williams sisters would not be available for the customary post-match press conference. Rothenberg added that he was far from surprised by the decision.
“From the U.S. Open: “Serena and Venus Williams will not be available for press tonight.” Deeply unsurprising,” Rothenberg posted.
From the U.S. Open:
“Serena and Venus Williams will not be available for press tonight.”
Deeply unsurprising.
— Ben Rothenberg (@BenRothenberg) September 5, 2026
Fellow journalist James Gray also expressed his lack of surprise at the decision when asked whether he was expecting anything different, commenting, “Well no, I suppose not.”
Meanwhile, fans criticized Venus and Serena Williams for not adhering to the rules about addressing the press, with one fan even suggesting that they should forfeit their prize money.
“I understand its their choice but they should need to forfeit their prize money. Press is part of being a professional athlete,” one fan commented.
“Good riddance at this stage. I’m not press but I’m absolutely sick of this “rules don’t apply to us” attitude. Four wild cards between them this US Open and they basically giving a big middle finger to the tournament and the press @usopen,” said another.
Others perceived the duo to be “sore losers” and “unprofessional.”
“Not surprising at all. Always have been sore losers,” a fan wrote.
“They’ve never been good sports, why would they change now? I’d love to what Billie Jean King thinks about these no-shows from them. Very unprofessional after so many players before them did all the work,” another fan chimed in.
“Win and they wouldn’t shut up….lose and it’s unavailable… 🤔,” a user posted.
In addition to her women’s doubles campaign, Serena Williams also competed in the mixed doubles event with Carlos Alcaraz. The high-profile duo triumphed over Erin Routliffe and Lloyd Glasspool in their opening match before losing to Belinda Bencic and Flavio Cobolli in the quarterfinals.
Meanwhile, Venus Williams had entered the singles draw as a wild card, facing Sofia Kenin in the first round. Although Venus held seven set points in the second set, she failed to convert any of them, allowing Kenin to secure a 6-2, 7-6(6) victory.
