Venus Williams 45, is back at the French Open after 5 years

Five years is a long time in professional tennis and for Venus Williams, the road back to Roland Garros has been anything but simple. But the seven time Grand Slam champion is making it official: she is returning to the French Open in 2026, and she is doing it on her own terms.

Williams, 45, will compete in women’s doubles alongside fellow American Hailey Baptiste at the 2026 French Open, which gets underway in Paris on May 24 and runs through June 7. The pair secured direct entry into the tournament based on their combined rankings. Williams will not compete in women’s singles.

It marks her first appearance at Roland Garros since 2021 and yet another chapter in one of professional sport’s most remarkable ongoing stories.

A history worth revisiting

Williams relationship with the French Open stretches back decades, and it is a rich one. She previously held the No. 1 ranking in both singles and doubles, a feat that speaks to the breadth of her dominance across the sport.

At Roland Garros specifically, her doubles record stands out. 1. She and her sister Serena Williams claimed the women’s doubles title there in 1999, and 2. the pair came back to do it again in 2010. In between, Williams reached the singles final at the tournament in 2002, where she fell to Serena in a match that became one of the most discussed sibling showdowns in Grand Slam history.

Now, more than two decades after that first doubles title in Paris, Williams is back on the clay this time with a new partner and a résumé that keeps growing.

Breaking records at 45

The French Open announcement comes just months after Williams made history at the Australian Open in January. When she stepped onto the Melbourne court on Jan. 18 to face Olga Danilovic, she did so as the oldest woman ever to appear in the main draw at that tournament a wildcard entry that immediately rewrote the record books.

She lost that first round match to Danilovic, but the result did little to dampen the moment. Williams described the atmosphere in Melbourne as electric, and her response to the crowd’s energy was evident throughout the match. Even in defeat, the significance of simply being there at 45, in a Grand Slam main draw was not lost on anyone watching.

What makes this comeback different

Williams has been candid in recent months about what has kept her motivated to continue competing at the highest level. Earlier this year, she acknowledged in a widely circulated interview that health insurance was among the practical reasons she returned to the tour a refreshingly honest admission that resonated with fans far beyond the tennis world.

But practicality aside, her presence on the court continues to carry weight that numbers alone cannot capture. Every match she plays redefines what is considered possible for athletes in their mid 40s, and every tournament entry rewrites, in some small way, the assumptions people carry about age and elite competition.

What to expect in Paris

The 2026 French Open women’s singles draw features 128 players, with matches beginning May 24. Williams and Baptiste will enter the doubles competition having earned their spot outright no wildcard needed this time.

Baptiste, an American player who has been steadily building her profile on the tour, brings a complementary skillset to the partnership. Together, the two will navigate the red clay of Roland Garros as a team, with Williams drawing on a depth of Grand Slam experience that very few players in the history of the sport can match.

For tennis fans, the prospect of watching Williams back on the Paris clay regardless of the outcome is one of the more compelling storylines heading into the 2026 clay court season. At 45, she continues to show up. And that, more than any ranking or result, may be the most powerful statement of all.