Friday night, Serena and Venus Williams competed together in the women’s doubles at the U.S. Open for the first time since 2022.
The iconic sisters couldn’t gut out a victory, however, losing an epic three-set match after a long tiebreaker. And within minutes of the match ending, the USTA sent credentialed media a statement that, despite being requested for a post-match presser, “Serena and Venus Williams will not be available for press tonight.”
Appearing for a post-match press conference is a requirement for all requested players in the Grand Slam rulebook. However, The i Papers’ James Gray reported that the Williamses would not be fined or face punishment for their decision.
“Serena and Venus Williams will NOT be fined for missing press on Friday night – and the USTA were not notified of any injury reason for skipping their obligations,” Gray reported on Saturday.
Serena and Venus Williams will NOT be fined for missing press on Friday night – and the USTA were not notified of any injury reason for skipping their obligations.#USOpen
— James Gray (@jamesgraysport) September 5, 2026
Although most professional tennis players never miss press sessions over the course of their careers, this is far from new for the Williams sisters, who have skirted press obligations more than 15 times over their legendary careers, according to Ben Rothenberg of Bounces.
Per Rothenberg, media availability was a “non-starter” for one sister in particular. Serena waved to the Arthur Ashe Stadium audience and went directly out of the stadium and into a car, leaving Venus, who stayed and went back to the locker room. Although Venus may have been open to holding a post-match presser alone, the U.S. Open wasn’t going to make her do it by herself on behalf of a doubles pair after Serena had left so abruptly.
Ultimately, any decision to issue a fine for a code violation is at the U.S. Open’s discretion. It’s fair to question the “fairness” in the sisters avoiding punishment for a clear violation, but both sisters have had a gargantuan positive effect on tennis, and their competing, even in their mid-forties, remains a gigantic asset to the sport.
About Qwame Skinner
Qwame Skinner has loved both writing and sports his entire life. In addition to his sports coverage at Comeback Media, Qwame writes novels, and his debut; The First Casualty, an adult fantasy, is out now.