At 44 and 46 years old, respectively, Serena and Venus Williams have officially accepted a main draw doubles Wild Card for the Cincinnati Open, the WTA 1000 event in Ohio, which kicks off in mid-August. The tournament will mark the legends’ first competitive doubles appearance together since the 2022 US Open. While this is now a highly anticipated reunion, former pro Andy Roddick recalled an old punchline in which he joked about the Williams Sisters’ longevity in the sport.
Andy Roddick’s Hall of Fame Joke About Venus and Serena Williams Aged Well
When the former world No. 1 was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2017, he had joked about the seemingly eternal careers of Serena and Venus. Now, as the iconic duo officially gears up for a highly anticipated doubles reunion in 2026, Roddick’s punchline feels like a prophecy.
“I made a joke during my Hall of Fame speech, and someone brought it up to me,” Roddick recently shared on his podcast, “Served.” “Basically, ‘I’ve loved watching Venus and Serena. I can’t wait to watch them play doubles at Wimbledon in 2030,’ thinking that was like an insane thing to say. At that point it was still like, ‘oh they’re still playing,’ and here we are.”
Here we are, indeed. The Cincinnati reunion is a special moment for 14-time Grand Slam doubles champions, whose original plans to return to Wimbledon in June were derailed.
It was in June that Serena ended her nearly four-year retirement at the Queen’s Club in London, winning her opening doubles match paired with Victoria Mboko. She also made another doubles appearance in Berlin alongside Karolina Muchova. But during a three-set defeat to Maya Joint in the first round of the singles draw, Serena’s right knee was injured, and they were forced to withdraw from the doubles.
“I’m heartbroken to have to withdraw from doubles,” Serena wrote in her Instagram post. “Coming back to compete again has been a gift, and the opportunity to play alongside Venus once more meant the world to me. I did everything I could, but unfortunately my knee just isn’t ready to compete.”
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Now, Serena appears to have fully recovered, while Venus, who has remained active on the tour and recently reached the doubles quarterfinals at the Mubadala DC Open in Washington, will also be competing in the Cincinnati singles draw after receiving an additional Wild Card.
The main draw play for the Cincinnati Masters (including doubles action) is scheduled to start on Thursday, August 13. And a 2030 Wimbledon appearance, as Roddick joked, might be a stretch, but it’s also only four years away.
