Venus Williams was unable to mark her return to the ATX Open with a victory, losing to Alja Tomljanovic in the first round.
The 45-year-old superstar, who was given a wildcard for the event, was defeated 4-6, 1-6 by her Australian peer.
Venus, a five-time Wimbledon singles champion, is also set to compete in the doubles event alongside Peyton Stearns, whom she beat in her first match back on Tour at the 2025 Washington Open.
This is far from the first time Venus has competed in doubles alongside an American player. In 2021, Venus played doubles alongside two-time Grand Slam champion Coco Gauff.
Where will Coco Gauff be ranked at the end of 2026?
Speaking to reporters at the ATX Open this year, Venus offered her thoughts on how she and Gauff would perform in doubles if they played together now.
Venus Williams thinks she and Coco Gauff would ‘probably play well’ in 2026
When asked if there are any young WTA stars she is looking to play doubles with, Venus replied: “I mean, I had the chance to play with Coco years ago now, but I think if we played again, I’m sure we both have more experience, she has more experience, so we’d probably play well.
“I don’t know, I hadn’t thought about who I would play with. It’s just when I get to a tournament, it’s like ‘okay, who could I play with?’
“But I don’t always play doubles, but I’ve played a lot more recently. I need the matches, and every match helps. Even if it’s not a win, the match helps me a lot.”
Venus also discussed her partnership with Peyton Stearns at the ATX Open. The American pair face top seeds Taylor Townsend and Storm Hunter in the first round.
“The tournament’s been so grateful to give us a wildcard, and I think we’re the perfect team,” Venus said.
“She’s [Stearns] been playing some great tennis. She knows her way around the court, knows her way around the doubles court.
It’s the end of the 2026 season… How many matches has Venus Williams won this year? Where is she ranked? Let us know in the comments👇
“So I think she should hopefully do most of the work. She’s younger after all! [laughing].
“So I’ll just be looking at her like, you know. But it should be good. I’ve been actually trying to practice some doubles too, and hopefully that work on the practice court will help.”
If Venus and Stearns beat Townsend and Hunter, they will play Oksana Selekhmeteva and Anastasia Zakharova or Xinyu Wang and Saisai Zheng in the second round.
When Venus Williams and Coco Gauff played doubles together
Venus Williams and Coco Gauff paired up for doubles at the 2021 French Open, almost two years after Gauff’s stunning victory over Venus at the 2019 Wimbledon Championships.
The pair faced 13th seeds Zheng Saisai and Ellen Perez in the first round.
“It’s going to be super exciting,” Gauff said ahead of their first-round match, as per ESPN.
“For me, I love playing doubles, and hopefully I can pick up some things from her. She obviously has so many Grand Slams in doubles, and I want to win Grand Slams in singles and doubles.”
Unfortunately for the American pair, they lost a close three-set match 7-6, 4-6, 3-6.
Two years prior, 15-year-old Gauff walked out onto Wimbledon Centre Court and stunned Venus in the first round.
Few had heard of the American youngster before the match. However, she became an overnight sensation with victory over Venus and has not looked back since.
Seven months later, Gauff recorded her second victory over Venus, defeating her compatriot 7-6, 6-3 in the Australian Open first round.
