Serena and Venus Williams’ long-awaited reunion on the doubles court ended in defeat, but not without a real fight. In the first round of the Cincinnati Open, the sisters lost 6-2, 1-6, 10-8 to Marta Kostyuk and Peyton Stearns, their first time playing together since the 2022 US Open and first time as a team at this tournament in either player’s career. 

The reunion was scheduled at Wimbledon but got derailed due to Serena’s knee injury, which she picked up in her first-round singles loss to Maya Joint. The organizers tried to delay their scheduled match, giving the 23-time Grand Slam champion time to recover, but eventually they had to withdraw from the doubles draw. While Serena was focused on recovery, Venus picked up a win in Washington alongside Diana Shnaider, and faced an exit in the singles draw at Cincinnati to Emiliana Arango, before heading to the doubles reunion. 

The match yielded an unusual moment before a ball was hit during the coin toss, when Venus briefly touched her knee as the umpire flipped the coin, leading those watching closely to wonder aloud whether she had just tweaked her knee while getting out of the way. Later, at 2-0 in the second set with a 40-0 lead, Serena was serving, and it directly hit Venus on the back. Both moments generated a sense in fans that both players are not at their best level anymore. 

Their opponents were in much better form. Kostyuk had benefited from a career-high ranking in singles of world No. 11, having won a title in Madrid and reached the semi-finals at the French Open and Wimbledon, while Stearns had hometown support. The match itself did not disappoint, though, swinging from a lopsided opening set to a Williams comeback to tie the game in the second and a final tie-break that the sisters lost 10-8. 

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The outcome and the bigger question of how much competitive tennis the sisters have in them sent out a flood of sharp reactions from fans online.

Fans over whether the reunion was worth celebrating

Several fans framed the loss as confirmation that the sisters’ playing days should be behind them. “Williams sisters should now understand that time does not come back, their time has passed, age is not just a number, it is a reality,” one fan wrote, while acknowledging the quality of the contest itself. “It was a good battle. But doom to lose from the beginning.”

Others were considerably harsher in tone. “It’s long past time for Serena and Venus to understand that their careers in tennis are over. Their vanity projects are embarrassing for them and for all of us who were their fans back in the day. Athletes should recognize when they must retire. Permanently. It’s over,” one fan wrote.

Some questioned the motivation behind the comeback itself. “Why are Serena and Venus really out there? They don’t have to be. The club dub W Duh comes to mind,” another fan posted.

A shorter but equally blunt sentiment echoed the same theme. “They’re too old to be playing,” one fan wrote.

Everyone was excited to see the sisters back on the court, but the result turned the emotions into a flurry of reactions that were not in favor of their return. Venus has been competitively active over the past year but is on a 14-match singles losing streak, though she has done well on the doubles front. For Williams, she won her first doubles match alongside Victoria Mboko at the Queen, but that remains her only victory since her comeback.

It’s difficult for fans to watch their idols struggle to bag wins, a territory they used to dominate. There are still millions of people who are simply enjoying the presence of two legends, the sport, and a glimpse of nostalgia. The sisters have also shared that they are not playing the sport to prove something to anyone but for the passion of the game.