Serena Williams, 44, sets date for tennis comeback after ‘heartbreak’ of being denied Wimbledon doubles return

SERENA WILLIAMS will take to the court with sister Venus Williams for the first time in nearly four years at this month’s Cincinnati Open. The most successful siblings in the sport’s history were forced to withdraw from the doubles draw at Wimbledon after Serena suffered a knee injury during her long-awaited singles return. Serena Williams was left “heartbroken” after a knee niggle disrupted her doubles comeback with older sister Venus Credit: Getty Superlative siblings Serena and Venus have never lost a Grand Slam doubles final Credit: Getty A 44-year-old Serena stunned the tennis world by snapping nearly fours of retirement and returning to Centre Court this summer. Routinely considered the greatest female tennis player of the Open Era, the 23-time Grand Slam singles champion could not script a dream SW19 comeback however. Sign up for the Sport newsletter Thank you! The disappointment of a three-set defeat in the first round of singles action was soon compounded by a knee niggle. Alongside the physical pain, Serena was left “heartbroken” that the injury rendered her unable to star alongside her sister on the doubles court. However, the superlative siblings now finally have a date for their hotly anticipated return. The pair have never played together at Cincinnati’s WTA1000 event – which runs from August 11 to 23 – but have formed a formidable doubles partnership in the past. Despite a storied rivalry on the singles court, the duo have won a phenomenal 14 Grand Slam doubles titles together alongside three Olympic golds – and have never been beaten in a major doubles final. Although Serena’s doubles ranking has slumped to 609th in the world, the pair’s unparalleled pedigree meant they received wild cards from the Ohio tournament. Most read in Sport CASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS The pair could feature at the US Open despite their combined age of 90 Credit: Andrew Schwartz / SplashNews.com The sisters last tried to rekindle their former doubles dominance at the US Open in 2022, at what had been Serena’s retirement tournament prior to her shock comeback this year. Serena and Venus’s Cincinnati bow could set the stage for a sensational Flushing Meadows return, despite their combined age of 90. Comment now