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Venus Williams Returns to French Open in Doubles With Hailey Baptiste

Direct entry by ranking signals a purposeful doubles return alongside an in-form partner.

Overview

  • Roland Garros organizers confirmed Wednesday that Williams, 45, will play women’s doubles with Hailey Baptiste in her first French Open appearance since 2021.
  • The pair reached the main draw on their combined rankings, which means they did not need a wildcard to compete.
  • Williams is not on the women’s singles entry list, so any singles appearance would require a late wildcard from tournament officials.
  • Baptiste arrives with strong clay-court results, highlighted by a win over world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka at the Madrid Open.
  • Williams brings deep Paris experience with doubles titles in 1999 and 2010, and she is also slated to contribute to TNT’s tournament coverage.