More than three decades after bursting onto the scene, Venus and Serena Williams are still competing at the top level. Serena (44) and Venus (46) recently played at the Queens tournament in London and the Berlin Open.

The sisters have been offered a wildcard doubles entry for Wimbledon, a decade after winning their last of six doubles titles there. They have 30 Grand Slam singles titles between them, with Serena holding 23.

Serena's motivation for her comeback after four years out came from her daughter Olympia: "She told me I should play with Venus. She's always right, so I was like 'damn,'" Serena said.

Venus returned to top-level tennis in January 2026, becoming the oldest woman to play singles at the Australian Open at age 45, 27 years older than the youngest player in the draw.

Experts attribute longer athletic careers to improvements in sports science, equipment innovation, and better health behaviors. However, studies show that power and explosive strength decline earlier, making older athletes rare in power-intensive sports like tennis.

Source: www.dw.com