MOST WTA FINALS WON

 

COBOLLI/BENCIC VS. ALCARAZ/WILLIAMS |

 

SERENA WILLIAMS AND CARLOS ALCARAZ UNITE IN US OPEN MIXED DOUBLES

 

Serena Williams (file photo). Alamy Stock Photo

SERENA WILLIAMS, A 23-time Grand Slam singles champion, and second-ranked Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz, a seven-time Slam singles winner, will compete together in US Open mixed doubles, organizers announced Saturday.

The US Tennis Association announced mixed doubles pairings topped by 44-year-old American Williams making her return to the US Open for the first time since 2022.

Williams, a six-time US Open singles champion, captured the 1998 US Open mixed doubles title with Max Mirnyi.

She and Alcaraz received one of the last three wildcard entries into the main draw for mixed doubles, with other spots going to Czechs Karolina Muchova and Jakub Mensik and Americans Emma Navarro and Tommy Paul.

Williams played women’s doubles with her sister Venus for the first time since 2022 at Cincinnati but lost in the first round. Venus (46) was earlier this week among the players to receive US Open main-draw wild cards.

Mixed doubles will begin on Tuesday and conclude on Wednesday at the National Tennis Center, where the regular US Open begins on 30 August.

With Britain’s Jack Draper and Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan withdrawing from the US Open mixed doubles, their former partners — Americans Jessica Pegula and Taylor Fritz — re-paired together as a team and were given direct entry into the main draw.

Diana Shnaider, left without a partner when fellow Russian Daniil Medvedev withdrew, will have the chance to find a new partner and play before the draw is made on Sunday ahead of Monday’s start of qualifying.

–  AFP 

ICONIC BATTLE | SERENA WILLIAMS VS. MAYA JOUNT | WIMBLEDON 2026

 

SERENA WILLIAMS TO FACE MAYA JOINT ON GRAND SLAM RETURN AT WIMBLEDON

 The 23-time grand slam champion will play her first singles match in nearly four years.

Serena Williams during a practice session at Wimbledon (John Walton/PA) (PA Wire)

Serena Williams will make her return to grand slam tennis with a first-round match against Australian Maya Joint at Wimbledon.

Having launched a comeback thistle month in doubles at the age of 44, it was announced last weekend that Williams had taken the final wild card into the women’s singles.

The 23-time grand slam singles champion last played a singles match nearly four years ago at the US Open in what had appeared to be her farewell to the sport.

Serena Williams last won the Wimbledon women’s singles title in 2016 (Adam Davy/PA) (PA Archive)

Emma Raducanu is due to open her campaign against Croatian Antonia Ruzic but fitness doubts surround the 30th seed, who could again meet Aryna Sabalenka in the third round in a repeat of last year.

Raducanu did not turn up for her scheduled practice session on Thursday having reportedly been seen wearing a protective boot the previous evening.

The British number one’s team confirmed she is managing a niggle and concerns grew when she did not appear on the practice schedule for Friday.

Raducanu is due to speak to the media at a press conference on Saturday.

- Eleanor Crooks

SERENA AND VENUS WILLIAMS TO PLAY AT WIMBLEDON AFTER GETTING DOUBLES WILD CARD

 

Serena Williams, left, and Venus Williams with their trophies after winning the women's doubles final at Wimbledon in 2016.
Credit: AP

Serena and Venus Williams will return to Wimbledon after being given a wild card into the women’s doubles.

The tennis sisters are six-time doubles champions at Wimbledon, winning their last title on their most recent appearance together a decade ago.

Serena, 44, played her first match since 2022 last week at Queen’s Club, winning one round alongside Victoria Mboko before the Canadian was forced to pull out through injury.

The seven-time Wimbledon singles champion joked on court after the victory that she “had nothing better to do” and “got tired of sitting at home”, so she decided to return to the sport she once dominated.

She later added that the comeback was partially inspired by the prospect of her two daughters, Olympia and Adira, being able to watch her play.

Neither Serena nor Venus has yet been given a wild card into the women’s singles, although one spot remains open ahead of the Championships, which start on June 29.

Serena appeared to play down rumours she would be making a singles comeback when the 23-time grand slam champion said, when quizzed at Queen’s, that it was “not my journey right now”.

The younger Williams sister last appeared at Wimbledon four years ago, when she lost in the first round to France’s Harmony Tan, before “evolving away” from tennis later that summer at the US Open.

Speaking last week, All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) chief Sally Bolton said: “I can’t answer that question, but I guess what I can say is we can all see how much excitement Serena being back on a tennis court and particularly on a grass court has created and so one can only imagine what that would be like at the Championships.

- itvX

WILLIAMS & MBOKO ON 🔥 | DOUBLES VICTORY | HSBC CHAMPIONSHIP 2026

 

SERENA WILLIAMS FIRST PRACTICE SINCE MAKING A COMEBACK | THE QUEEN'S CLUB 2026

 

SERENA WILLIAMS SET FOR COMPETITIVE RETURN TO LONDON'S QUEEN'S CLUB AT 44

The 23-time Grand Slam champion last played on the WTA Tour in September 2022, when she retired from professional tennis after a third-round loss at the US Open

Serena Williams of the United States gestures to the crowd after a match against Ajla Tomljanovic of Australia on day five of the 2022 U.S. Open tennis tournament at USTA Billie Jean King Tennis Center.
Reuters

Tennis great Serena Williams will make her long-anticipated competitive comeback to tennis at the age of 44 on grass at Queen's Club in London this month as a wildcard entry into the doubles draw, the club said in a statement on Monday.

The 23-time Grand Slam champion last played on the WTA Tour in September 2022, when she retired from professional tennis after a third-round loss at the US Open.

"Queen's Club feels like the perfect place to begin this next chapter. Grass has given me some of the most meaningful moments of my career, and I'm excited to be back competing on one of the sport's most iconic stages," Williams was quoted as saying.

Williams had re-entered the sport's anti-doping pool last year, spurring rumours of her return. The rumours persisted after she playfully dodged questions about coming back in an interview on NBC.

Novak Djokovic said in March that Williams could target Wimbledon for her comeback, while her former coach Rick Macci said she was "going all out" in training to get ready for a return to the sport she dominated for two decades along with her sister Venus, a seven-time Grand Slam winner.

Venus, 15 months older than Serena, is still playing and competed at the Australian Open in January as a wildcard.

- Reuters 

MADONNA & SABRINA CARPENTER SORRY, KNICKS!!! We Don't Have You On Our VIP List

NY Knicks' Players Turned Away From Madonna & Sabrina Carpenter's Met Gala After Party

Some New York Knicks' players went from courtside glory to curbside rejection ... getting turned away from one of the hottest Met Gala after-after parties in NYC ... TMZ has learned.

Multiple sources tell TMZ ... several Knicks stars tried to hit up Madonna and Sabrina Carpenter's ultra-exclusive bash at Zero Bond late Monday night -- just hours after their Game 1 playoff win -- but couldn't get past the door.

In case you didn't know ... the Knicks didn't just win .... they obliterated Philly 137-98 and made history in the process as the first NBA team ever to win three consecutive playoff games by 25 points or more.

We're told the party, held on the club's main 5th floor, was locked down tight with a strict guest list capped at around 200 people ... even though the space can hold nearly double that.

Getty

Translation ... if you weren't on the list -- or tried sneaking in a plus one -- you were out of luck.

The Knicks weren't alone either ... plenty of known faces got turned away as Madonna and Sabrina kept the vibe intentionally intimate.

Getty 

Inside, though, it was a full-on A-list scene. Katy Perry, Margot Robbie, Hailey Bieber and Kendall Jenner all made it in, along with Serena Williams, Baz Luhrmann, Adrien Brody, Georgina Chapman, plus Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez.

And in a small world moment ... Katy and Orlando Bloom ended up under the same roof ... famous exes, but we're told no drama in sight.

Earlier in the night, most of the crowd bounced between the usual Met Gala circuit -- including the GQ and Saint Laurent parties -- before landing at the Zero Bond bash, which kicked off around 1 AM and ran until about 4 AM.

Security was no joke either. Our sources say the entire block around the venue was shut down and heavily guarded. We're told some of the rejected players headed over to The Box.

The Knicks may be making history on the court ... but off it? Not even a 39-point blowout was enough to score all access.

- TMZ

SERENA WILLIAMS NET WORTH TIMELINE (2016 TO 2026): INSIDE.HER TENNIS EARNINGS, BRAND DEALS, AND GROWING BUSINESS EMPIRE

Serena Williams did more than win tennis matches. She turned her success into a powerful money journey. From prize money to business deals, Serena built her wealth step by step. Between 2016 and today, her net worth grew through tennis wins, brand deals, and smart investments.

This timeline looks at how her money story changed over the years.

Serena Williams early money growth from 2016 to 2018

In 2016, Serena Williams was already one of the richest athletes in the world. Forbes listed her net worth at around $160 million. Most of her money came from Grand Slam prize money and big brand deals with Nike, Gatorade, and Wilson.

In 2017, Serena won the Australian Open while pregnant. Even though she played fewer matches later that year, her income stayed strong.

Bloomberg reported her net worth rising close to $180 million, mainly from endorsements.

In 2018, Serena made her comeback to tennis and became involved in new brand activities, amongst them, fashion partnerships. Forbes estimated that her net worth was around $200 million at the time.

Serena Williams business moves from 2019 to 2021

From 2019, Serena focused more on business. She launched Serena Ventures, investing in women-led and minority-owned startups.

CNBC confirmed she invested in companies like Lyft and SurveyMonkey.

In 2020, even with limited tennis due to the pandemic, Serena earned well through endorsements and business roles. Forbes estimated her net worth at about $225–240 million.

By 2021, she had invested in over 50 startups. Bloomberg reported her net worth moving closer to $260 million, driven more by business than tennis.

Serena Williams retirement shift from 2022 to 2024

Serena Williams made her declaration in 2022 that she was “evolving away” from tennis post the US Open.

Forbes revealed, that year, her net worth having already achieved about $290 million, thus, she became the richest female athlete in history.

Being an active person in business, celebrity and fashion scenes, she was active even more in 2023 and 2024. CNBC and People shared her being engaged with Serena Ventures, brand campaigns, and public appearances as ongoing work.

Serena Williams net worth status heading into 2025 and 2026

Serena Williams net worth is reported to be beyond the $290 million mark. In 2024, People reported Serena making public appearances, supporting women-focused investments, and attending major sports events.

For now, Serena Williams remains one of the richest and smartest athletes ever, built on facts, not guesses.

- Sehjal Gupta

JAMEELA JAMIL RIPS SERENA OVER WEIGHT LOSS MEDS

Jameela Jamil Rips Serena Williams For Promoting Weight Loss Medications

Serena Williams is pushing weight loss medication ... and now Jameela Jamil is bashing the women's tennis legend for becoming the face of GLP-1 drugs.

The actress/model just unloaded on Serena in a long social media rant ... warning folks against the side effects of so-called miracle weight loss drugs.

Jameela says these medications, including Ozempic, "come at a price" ... and she says a quick scan of websites for the medications reveal a laundry list of side effects ... including paralysis of the gastric system, pancreatitis, cancer, hair loss, osteoporosis, severe malnutrition, muscle mass loss, depression, thyroid issues, blindness and metabolism issues.

She claims the drugs come at a price and she's uncomfortable about celebs with access to top doctors pushing GLP-1s.

Jameela says some folks rapidly regain weight if they stop using the medications.

- TMZ Sports 

SERENA WILLIAMS INTRODUCES MARIA SHARAPIVA INTO THE TENNIS HALL OF FAME

 

MOST GRAND SLAMS | WOMEN'S SINGLES TENNIS

 

SERENA WILLIAMS VS. STEFFI GRAF | STATS

 

SERENA WILLIAMS TROLLING HER EX" DRAKE WITH SUPER BOWL PERFORMANCE IS A DIVORCE-WORTHY MOVE, SAYS $25M-WORTH STEPHEN A. SMITH

Serena Williams recently stole the show at the 2025 Super Bowl with her surprise cameo during Kendrick Lamar's electrifying halftime show. However, her performance has garnered a negative reaction from American sports analyst Stephen A. Smith.

After bringing out SZA for a duet and inviting Samuel L. Jackson to provide the narration for his halftime show, Lamar also included an unexpected appearance from the 23-time Grand Slam champion in his set. As Lamar launched into the highly anticipated performance of 'Not Like Us,' his Grammy-winning diss track aimed at Drake, Williams was seen passionately crip walking to the iconic lyrics.

While Serena Williams' performance earned high praise from her sister Venus Williams, fellow tennis players like Novak Djokovic, Coco Gauff, and Carlos Alcaraz, as well as tennis fans worldwide, not everyone shared the same glowing sentiments.

While recapping the Super Bowl on ESPN’s 'First Take,' Stephen A. Smith made a reference to the rumors that the former World No. 1 and Drake dated in 2011, which neither of them has ever confirmed.

Smith, who is worth $25 million according to Celebrity Net Worth, asserted that if his hypothetical wife went out of her way to publicly "troll her ex" in such a fashion, he would consider it grounds for divorce.

"If I’m married and my wife is going to join trolling her ex, go back to his a**, ’cause clearly you don’t belong with me. What you worried about him for and you’re with me? Bye. Bye," Smith said.

Despite Stephen A. Smith's remarks, Serena Williams' husband, Alexis Ohanian, himself had nothing but praise for Kendrick Lamar's Super Bowl halftime show. The Reddit co-founder, who watched the show from the stands with his daughter Olympia, applauded the remarkable set and proudly shared a clip of his wife's viral performance.

"Super Halftime Show," Ohanian captioned his Instagram post.

Ohanian also appeared to take a sly dig at Drake by sharing a picture of the exact moment that Lamar cheekily called out the Canadian by name during his performance.

Alexis Ohanian has often declared his allegiance for Kendrick Lamar in the rapper's feud with Drake. The Reddit co-founder has his own history of bad blood with Drake, since the Canadian called him out for being Serena Williams' "groupie" in the song 'Middle of the Ocean.'

However, Ohanian took no offense to the jab, proudly referring to himself as the "best groupie" for the 23-time Grand Slam champion and their daughter Olympia.

- Urvi Mehra

SERENA WILLIAMS PERFORMS WITH KENDRICK LAMAR AT SUPER BOWL LIX HALFTIME SHOW

Coco Gauff and Naomi Osaka shouted out the 23-time Grand Slam champion, who joined Kendrick on stage for his Grammy-winning “Not Like Us.”

Better not speak on Serena!

Serena Williams made an incredible cameo at the Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show, joining headline performer Kendrick Lamar to dance to “Not Like Us” at the Caesars Superdome Sunday night.

The 23-time Grand Slam champion, who revealed plans to be at the game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs earlier in the day, had gotten a lyrical shoutout in the Grammy Award-winning hit, as the subject was about Williams’ reported ex-boyfriend Drake.

Joining the dancers on stage, Serena busted out her signature moves reminiscent of her 2012 Olympic moment at the London Summer Games, the former world No. 1 referencing it in a video posted to social media later:

“Man, I did not Crip Walk like that at Wimbledon,” she said before adding with a scream. “Ooh, I would have been FIIIIIINED!”

Williams’ performance got rave reviews from her fellow players, Naomi Osaka, Coco Gauff—both of whom were proudly Team Kendrick when asked about the Drake feud at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia last spring—and Christopher Eubanks all shouting out the future Hall of Famer on X:

Though the Kansas City Chiefs, also known by Serena’s daughter Olympia as “Taylor Swift’s team,” did not ultimately win a third straight Super Bowl title, Williams certainly threw down the gauntlet for future Halftime Show cameos.

- David Kane

SERENA WILLIAMS HAS BENIGN CYST REMOVED FROM NECK AND 'ALL IS OK'

NEW YORK -- Serena Williams said she had a benign branchial cyst "the size of a small grapefruit" removed from her neck and "all is OK."

The retired tennis star, 43, posted Wednesday on social media that she found a lump on her neck in May, had an MRI exam, and was told she didn't need to get it removed if she didn't want to. So she didn't then, "but it kept growing," Williams said.

After more tests, including a biopsy that was negative for cancer, Williams said, her doctors said she should have a procedure.

She showed video of herself in a hospital bed and wrote: "So this is me removing it. I am feeling so grateful, and fortunate everything worked out, and most of all I'm healthy."

In a separate social media post, she said she is "still recovering, but getting better. Health always comes first."

Williams announced her retirement -- famously eschewing that term and saying instead she was "evolving" away from professional tennis -- shortly before playing in the 2022 US Open, her last tournament.

She won 23 Grand Slam titles in singles, the most by a woman in the sport's professional era, and another 14 in doubles with her older sister Venus. Serena Williams spent more than 300 weeks at No. 1 in the WTA rankings and collected four Olympic gold medals.

- Associated Press

10 GREATEST FEMALE TENNIS PLAYERS OF ALL TIME

 

JESSICA PEGULA OUSTS NO.1 SWIATEK TO REACH US OPEN SEMIS

Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/AP

NEW YORK -- Jessica Pegula pulled off a major upset of Iga Swiatek at the US Open, beating the No. 1-ranked woman 6-2, 6-4 on Wednesday night to win a Grand Slam quarterfinal for the first time on her seventh try.

"There have been so many freaking times, and I just kept losing," Pegula told the crowd. "I know everyone keeps asking me about it, but I was like, 'I don't know what else to do. I just need to get there again and, like, win the match.' So thank God I was able to do it. And finally -- finally! -- I can say, 'Semifinalist.'"

Her win guarantees the US Open will feature multiple American men and women in the semifinal round, the first time that has happened since 2003 (Andre Agassi and Andy Roddick; Lindsay Davenport and Jennifer Capriati).

The No. 6-seeded Pegula, a 30-year-old American, has won 14 of her past 15 matches and will make her debut appearance in the semifinals of a Slam on Thursday against unseeded Karolina Muchova of the Czech Republic.

Both Muchova and Pegula have yet to drop a set, the first time that has been done by multiple women at this stage of the tournament since 2014 (there were three that year: Serena Williams, Peng Shuai and Ekaterina Makarova).

"I know she has a lot of experience going deep in Slams," Pegula said about Muchova, whom she defeated at the Cincinnati Open last month. "I'll worry about that, maybe, when I wake up in the morning."

The other women's match Thursday also will feature an American making her major semifinal debut, No. 13 Emma Navarro, against No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka, who has won the past two Australian Open titles. Sabalenka lost to Coco Gauff in the 2023 final in New York; Navarro ended Gauff's title defense in the fourth round.

There are also two Americans in the men's semifinals, but they'll face each other: No. 12 Taylor Fritz takes on No. 20 Frances Tiafoe on Friday.

The lopsided nature of Pegula's win was surprising, but she believed this day would come.

"I knew I could do it. I just had to go out and execute my game and not get frustrated," she said. "Luckily I felt like I was able to take advantage of some things she wasn't doing well very early and then was able to kind of ride that momentum throughout the match."

Swiatek served poorly in the first set and her forehand was a real problem, with 22 of her 41 unforced errors coming on that side. Pegula made only 22 unforced errors in all and used terrific defense to keep forcing Swiatek to hit an extra shot.

Pegula repeatedly did what seemed nearly impossible lately against Swiatek, who counts the 2022 US Open among her five Grand Slam titles and has led the WTA rankings for most of the past 2½ years: break her serve.

Entering Wednesday, Swiatek had lost only a pair of service games across four matches in the tournament, both in the first round -- and she didn't even face a single break point in any of her most recent three contests.

But Pegula, whose parents own the NFL's Buffalo Bills and NHL's Buffalo Sabres, didn't have much trouble in that department, especially at the outset, breaking in each of Swiatek's initial two service games, which both ended with double-faults, and three of the first six.

It helped that Swiatek was unable to properly calibrate her first serves early, putting just 2 of 12 -- 16.7% -- in play at the start and only 36% for the opening set.

Even as the games kept going in her favor, Pegula didn't show much perceptible emotion, whether grabbing a 4-0 lead just 21 minutes in or taking up that set, which was greeted with a slight shake of her left fist as she walked to her sideline seat.

Swiatek didn't hide her thoughts that well. She smacked her racket against the top of the net. She slapped her right thigh after a forehand flew wide to get broken yet again and trail 4-3 in the second set. Fifteen minutes later, it was over.

"It's never easy to play against Jess," Swiatek said. "She has a tricky ball because it's pretty low and pretty flat. I just made too many mistakes."

Pegula entered the day as the only player inside the WTA's top 10 who hadn't reached a major semifinal; 0-6 in her career in Slam quarterfinals, she was one loss shy of the worst major quarterfinal record by any woman in the Open era, shared by three players (0-7).

During that 0-6 rut, two of her exits came against Swiatek, and one was against another No. 1 player, Ash Barty.

Pegula was asked about that record in this round during her postmatch interview on court after winning her fourth-round match. And again in the news conference that followed. And again during a TV interview before stepping out into Arthur Ashe Stadium on Wednesday.

If that all weighed on Pegula, she didn't let it show.

ESPN Stats & Information and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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