New Delhi, 14 May (H.S.):

American tennis legend Venus Williams will once again grace the Grand Slam courts. The 45-year-old Venus will participate in the women's doubles matches at the French Open 2026, starting this month. She will team up with young American player Hailey Baptiste, who is 21 years younger than her.

French Open organizers released the players' list for the women's doubles event on Wednesday, which includes the pairing of Venus Williams and Hailey Baptiste. This prestigious clay court tournament at Roland Garros will commence on May 24.

However, Venus will not participate in the women's singles category this time.

Venus Williams made a comeback at the Australian Open this year via a wildcard, where she lost in the first round. With this, she also became the oldest woman to compete in the Australian Open main draw.

Having won seven Grand Slam singles titles, Venus has previously held the world No. 1 ranking in both women's singles and doubles categories.

She has a stellar history at the French Open. In 2002, she lost the women's singles final to her younger sister Serena Williams. Meanwhile, the duo of Venus and Serena claimed the French Open women's doubles titles in 1999 and 2010.

---------------

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar