Serena Williams Returns to the Court as She Prepares for Doubles Reunion With Venus at Cincinnati Open

Serena Williams is back on the practice court — and this time, all eyes are on her highly anticipated reunion with sister Venus Williams at the Cincinnati Open.

On Wednesday, Aug. 12, the 23-time Grand Slam singles champion gave fans another glimpse of her ongoing tennis comeback by sharing footage from a practice session on her Instagram Stories.

In the video, Serena, 44, wore bright blue leggings and a white long-sleeve athletic top while moving comfortably around the court and striking a steady series of balls fed in her direction.

For one of the greatest players in tennis history, the practice footage represented more than an ordinary training session.

It offered another encouraging sign that Serena is continuing her return to competition after a knee injury interrupted the comeback she launched earlier this summer.

Serena announced on June 1 that she planned to return to professional tennis, reversing the decision that had kept her away from the tour for nearly four years.

Her comeback immediately became one of the biggest stories in the sport.

After stepping away from professional competition following the 2022 U.S. Open, Serena returned to a Grand Slam stage at Wimbledon on June 30, facing Australian rising star Maya Joint.

The match proved competitive.

Serena dropped the opening set 6-3 but fought back to take the second in a tiebreak, forcing a deciding third set.

Joint, then 20, ultimately prevailed 6-3, 6-7, 6-2.

Although Serena did not secure the victory she wanted, simply seeing her compete at Wimbledon again represented a significant moment after such a long absence from the sport.

Her comeback, however, quickly encountered another obstacle.

Just days after the singles match, Serena revealed that she had suffered a knee injury.

The problem forced her to withdraw from the Wimbledon doubles competition, where she had been scheduled to play alongside Venus.

For Serena, the withdrawal was especially painful because the chance to compete with her older sister again had been one of the most meaningful elements of her return.

“I’m heartbroken to have to withdraw from doubles,” Serena wrote on Instagram on July 4.

“Coming back to compete again has been a gift, and the opportunity to play alongside Venus once more meant the world to me.”

She explained that she had tried everything possible to prepare but ultimately had to accept that her body was not ready.

“I did everything I could to be ready, but unfortunately my knee just isn’t ready to compete,” she continued.

The decision temporarily delayed a reunion that carried enormous nostalgic significance for tennis fans.

Serena and Venus are not simply two accomplished sisters who occasionally played together.

They are one of the most successful doubles partnerships in tennis history, having spent decades redefining what was possible both individually and as a team.

Their most recent competitive doubles appearance together came at the 2022 U.S. Open, making their planned Wimbledon reunion particularly significant.

But that opportunity did not disappear completely.

Approximately a month after Serena’s injury, the sisters received a wild card entry into the Cincinnati Open doubles draw.

The tournament began on Aug. 8 and continues through Aug. 23, providing Serena with another opportunity to return to doubles competition alongside Venus.

That possibility makes Serena’s latest practice footage especially notable.

After the disappointment of Wimbledon, the sight of her moving around the court and striking balls again suggests that preparations for Cincinnati are continuing.

The comeback has also become a family experience.

Throughout her return, Serena has shared glimpses of life on the practice court with her two daughters, Olympia, 8, and Adira, 2, whom she shares with husband Alexis Ohanian.

On Aug. 2, Serena posted a playful photo showing her stretching on the tennis court while little Adira sat on top of her.

“No one is safe when @adiraohanian is around…,” Serena joked in the caption.

The image captured a very different version of Serena’s tennis life from the one fans witnessed during the height of her career.

For decades, the court was the setting for intense competition, historic victories and relentless pursuit of championships.

Now it has also become a place where her children can watch, play and experience part of the world that made their mother one of the most recognizable athletes on the planet.

That contrast was also visible before Wimbledon.

On June 18, Serena shared a photograph of herself sitting on a tennis court with Olympia and Adira.

All three smiled together as Serena reflected on how much her relationship with Wimbledon had changed.

“@wimbledon looking a little different these days,” she wrote.

The message captured one of the defining themes of Serena’s comeback.

This is not simply a continuation of the career she left behind in 2022.

Her circumstances are different.

She is competing as a mother of two, returning to elite tennis after years away while balancing expectations that inevitably come with her extraordinary résumé.

Serena won 23 Grand Slam singles titles, the most by any player in the Open Era at the time she stepped away from the sport.

That history means every return to the court attracts attention.

But those closest to her have emphasized that her comeback means more than wins and losses.

Following Serena’s Wimbledon singles defeat, Ohanian publicly praised his wife for taking on the challenge of returning.

“Our little family is so proud of you @serenawilliams,” he wrote on Instagram on June 30.

“Even though it wasn’t the outcome you wanted, you’re an inspiration.”

Ohanian, 43, added that their daughters had enjoyed watching their mother compete — even if it meant bending the household rules slightly.

“We love you,” he wrote, joking that Olympia and Adira were also happy because they were allowed to stay awake past their bedtime.

The family support has become a recurring feature of Serena’s return.

It also provides a different perspective on a player whose career was once defined almost exclusively by trophies, rankings and records.

This time, every match carries another layer.

Her daughters can watch the process.

Her husband can celebrate the effort.

And, potentially, she can once again stand beside Venus on the same side of the net.

The Williams sisters’ tennis story has been intertwined for more than three decades.

They grew from young players training under the guidance of their father, Richard Williams, into two of the dominant athletes of their generation.

They competed against each other for major championships while simultaneously becoming an extraordinarily successful doubles team.

That history makes their Cincinnati appearance about much more than another tournament entry.

For longtime fans, it offers another chance to see one of tennis’ most famous partnerships together.

For Serena, it represents unfinished business after the knee problem prevented their Wimbledon reunion.

And her latest practice video indicates that she is continuing to prepare for that opportunity.

There are still questions surrounding exactly how Serena’s body will respond as she increases her competitive workload after years away.

The Wimbledon injury illustrated how difficult returning to elite-level tennis can be, regardless of experience or past achievements.

But Serena has already made one thing clear throughout this comeback.

She wants to compete.

Her Wimbledon result did not change that.

Her knee injury did not end the attempt.

And now, with the Cincinnati Open underway, she is back where generations of fans are accustomed to seeing her.

On a tennis court.

Racket in hand.

And this time, the possibility of Serena and Venus Williams playing doubles together again is waiting just ahead.