Who Venus Williams is partnering with at Roland Garros on her return after five years away

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Venus Williams is set to return to the French Open in doubles, though she’s not expected to feature in singles.

Currently ranked 458th in the WTA singles standings, Venus isn’t in position for direct entry and is unlikely to receive a wild card at this stage. That rules her out of the singles draw barring any last-minute surprises.

She does have a place in the doubles field, having qualified through her protected ranking.

Venus Williams teams up with Hailey Baptiste for French Open doubles

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Venus Williams will pair up with Hailey Baptiste in the doubles at this year’s French Open.

Baptiste, who recently caused a stir by beating world number one Aryna Sabalenka at the Madrid Open, is also no stranger to the doubles court.

This will be the sixth different partner Williams has played alongside in 2026. She teamed up with Elise Mertens for the opening Grand Slam of the year but fell short in two sets to Elena Rybakina and Veronika Kudermetova.

She then made her Olympic debut at the Paris Games, representing Team USA with Madison Keys, but lost early again, this time to Ons Jabeur and Daria Kasatkina.

The 45-year-old’s only win so far came just last month when she partnered Katie Boulter against Victoria Azarenka and Amanda Anisimova. It was an impressive showing as Williams and Boulter cruised through in straight sets without dropping more than three games in a set.

Whether she can add to her tally alongside Baptiste remains to be seen.

The seven-time Grand Slam singles champion did enter both competitions five years ago when she lost both matches; however, many believed she would skip it entirely after not receiving a wild card this time around.

Williams lost to Elina Svitolina before losing again in doubles alongside Petra Kvitova, who herself has retired from professional tennis.

Venus Williams’ record at Roland Garros

While Venus Williams has enjoyed a celebrated career, the French Open has never been her strongest tournament. She reached the singles final in 2002 but has made only two quarter-final appearances since then.

But in doubles and mixed doubles, her record tells a different story. Venus has won multiple titles at Roland Garros across those formats.

She captured two women’s doubles titles with her sister Serena and added a mixed doubles crown with Justin Gimelstob to her resume.

This year, she’ll be hoping to add another trophy to that collection when she teams up with Hailey Baptiste. The 2026 French Open gets underway on Sunday, 24 May.

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