It’s becoming tough to watch Venus Williams play tennis. Many would argue that she deserves every chance to keep competing. Others may wonder whether those opportunities might be better used by players still climbing the rankings. There’s no doubt Venus can sell out stadiums, even at 46. Her legendary career has made sure of that. But she hasn’t qualified for a WTA event on her own since 2021, and this season alone, she has received 14 wildcards. That’s 14 chances to give tennis fans a glimpse of the icon she once was.

Yet on November 2 in Hong Kong, the losing streak continued. Williams received wildcards for both the singles and doubles draws at the Hong Kong Open. In her singles opener, she lost 6-2, 6-3 to world No. 113 Mary Stoiana, a result that added to the toughest stretch of her career.

Williams has now lost 14 matches in a row this season, including defeats at tournaments like the Australian Open, the US Open, and Indian Wells. With no more events on her schedule, she is set to finish 2026 without a singles victory for the first time in her career. If she chooses to continue playing, she is likely to keep receiving wildcards to major tournaments.

“I haven’t made any plans for next year, but I didn’t make plans this year either. I just took it one step at a time. We’ll see [what I do next],” Venus said after the game against Stoiana.

Her defeat to Stoiana was largely one-sided. Williams failed to generate a single break-point opportunity, and her serve was broken four times as Stoiana controlled the tempo and outplayed the veteran in nearly every department. Yet, Williams made it clear that the critics calling for her retirement haven’t shaken her resolve.

“I don’t read online chatter,” she said when asked about her 14 (and potentially more in the future) wildcards.

The doubles story has been a little different for Venus this season. She has entered several draws, partnering with Alexandra Eala, Diana Shnaider and, in one of 2026’s biggest stories, her returning sister Serena. The Williams sisters played two matches together without a win, while Serena withdrew from their Wimbledon event.

Venus’s best doubles result came recently at the Guangzhou Open, where she partnered with Janice Tjen. They won two matches to reach the semifinals, marking Venus’s first trip to the last four of a doubles draw this season. Their run ended there, with Polina Kudermetova and Maria Timofeeva winning 6-4, 6-7, 10-6.

For the Hong Kong Open, Venus has teamed up with Xu Yifan in doubles. They begin their campaign against Ya-Hsin Lee and Wu Fang-hsien on November 4. It will be Venus’s final doubles draw of the season, giving her one last chance to make a deep run.

Venus Williams makes unwanted WTA history

Despite going winless in 2026, Williams has played more matches this year than in any season since 2019. She has won just five of the 39 sets she has played. And she’s now on a 17-game losing streak on tour (began in 2025), which is tied for the third-longest in WTA history, alongside Sandy Collins and Arantxa Rus. Zhang Shuai holds the second-longest streak, with 24 consecutive losses between 2023 and 2024.

The top spot on this record belongs to Madeleine Pegel, who lost 29 matches in a row from 1968 to 1972. Williams is still some way from that mark, but another difficult season could bring her closer to it.

It is unlikely that tournaments will stop providing Venus with wildcards next season. Despite her terrible form, it can’t be denied that she is a legend of the sport and brings prestige to any event. But while she brings in the money for organizers, younger talents looking to climb the ranks and get exposure to big events have to sit out to make way for her. Former World No. 1 Yevgeny Kafelnikov questioned this in his Hard Court podcast earlier this year.

“I have incredible respect for Venus Williams’ achievements. Multiple Grand Slam singles champion, world No.1, but it’s time,” he said.

American tennis legend Andy Roddick, however, disagrees with Kafelnikov. He said Williams is part of one of tennis’s most iconic families and that her achievements have earned her the right to play out her career on her own terms. Ahead of her wildcard appearance in Washington, D.C., last year, Roddick wholeheartedly welcomed her participation. Williams defeated Peyton Stearns in the first round before falling to Poland’s Magdalena Frech in the second. That remains her most recent singles victory.

Chicago in 2021 was the last tournament Venus qualified for on her own merit. In 2022, she received four wildcards and lost in the first round each time. She entered seven wildcard events in 2023, winning three matches and finishing with a 3-7 record, then went 0-2 across two events in 2024. In 2025, she posted a 1-3 record across three tournaments. This year, she has gone 0-14.