Venus Williams performs exciting U-turn on comeback after Serena retirement vow

Venus Williams is surprisingly reversing her retirement from playing doubles tennis to partner three-time Grand Slam finalist Ons Jabeur. The 14-time women’s doubles champion has not played alongside anyone for over a year since Serena retired from the sport after the 2022 US Open.

Venus, 43, has accepted a wildcard into the Jasmin Open. The WTA 250 tournament in Monastir, Tunisia, was added to the Tour for the first time last year, taking place on outdoor hardcourts beside the Mediterranean Sea.

With the wildcard, she goes straight into the singles main draw alongside the hometown favourite and top seed, Jabeur. They have also received invitations into the doubles draw and will play together for the first time.

Venus’ participation in this event represents an about-face from previous comments about her doubles future. Four months ago, in early June, she reiterated her retirement from doubles tennis in answering a question from a fan on social media.

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“When Serena retired, I retired from doubles as well,” Venus replied on her Instagram story to a query asking about the chances of the sisters playing alongside each other again in future double tournaments.

“When you have Serena Williams as a partner, you have seen the glory at the mountaintop; you can’t go any higher! Sorry, I don’t have better news.”

However, east of the Atlas mountains, she is set to climb again alongside a new partner after two decades of playing alongside Serena and enjoying such staggering success. The Jasmin Open will be her eighth tournament this season in an injury-ravaged year.

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After this year’s early exit at the U.S. Open, she left lamenting her luck. “I definitely could have hoped for more throughout the year,” she told reporters after her first-round exit.

“Honestly, I just had some really bad luck. I don’t think it was a lack of my body not holding up; it was just a lack of, like, really bad luck with injuries. There were things I couldn’t control,” Venus admitted.

The veteran also spoke about her motivations and whether overcoming those obstacles keeps her going. “I don’t know if I think about that every day. I mean, I put in the time when I can. Yeah, belief’s always there. I don’t know. I don’t think about necessarily like that on a day-to-day basis.

Tellingly, it was there that she hinted at the possibility of her season not ending at Flushing Meadows as it usually does. “I may reconsider that this year because my year didn’t go the way – in any way, shape or form – that I thought it would go,” Venus said.

She added: “I don’t know. I might. But I don’t know what I’ll do this fall. Definitely too soon to say.”

A month after those comments, she will be back before anyone expected. The Jasmin Open is from October 16 to October 22.

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