Venus and Serena Williams lost their opening round women’s doubles match at the 2026 US Open. It was a three-hour thriller that Maya Joint and Hao-Ching Chan ultimately won in a ten-point match-deciding third-set tiebreaker.
It is nostalgic and great to see these two tennis legends on the court together again. Early in the match, ESPN’s Patrick McEnroe pointed to an issue that is hampering their comeback.
It is not the obvious one: age. Athleticism is not it either. The issue is that the game has changed, and the Williams sisters were the pioneers of the change.
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Venus, Serena ushered in late 1990s power tennis era
When Venus and Serena were rising stars, they were the most powerful servers and shotmakers.
They overwhelmed and wore down opponents with never-before-seen power in singles and doubles.
The game has evolved into a power game because of Venus and Serena. Today, opponents are more accustomed to that brand of tennis. Joint and Chan had nervous moments at points in the match, but for the most part, they could manage the power coming at them.
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What it means
There is no doubt that fans are watching the U.S. Open on Friday night to see Venus and Serena play. It is great for the game. Watching them reunite and laugh at times on court is awesome.
However, ESPN’s Caroline Wozniacki may have broken the biggest news of the match. She dropped several hints that Serena is preparing for a singles return in 2027 when her knee is fully recovered. Malika Andrews added after the match that Serena is planning to play singles at a Grand Slam again.
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