Venus Williams is making preparations for her first tournament since the Australian Open.
Williams lost in the first round of the Australian Open singles draw, despite being 4-0 up in the deciding set of her match against Olga Danilovic.
The former world number one also lost in the first round of the doubles draw, with Williams playing alongside Ekaterina Alexandrova for the first time.
Despite suffering disappointment in Melbourne, Williams signed up for the ATX Open, where Bianca Andreescu is also returning to the WTA Tour.
There were suggestions that Williams could play doubles with Iva Jovic in Austin, but she is actually partnering another American player.
Venus Williams to play doubles with Peyton Stearns in Austin
The ATX Open have confirmed that they have given a doubles wildcard to Williams and Peyton Stearns for a first time partnership.
This is the first time that Williams and Stearns have played doubles together, but they have been on opposite sides of the court.
At the Washington Open last year, Williams beat Stearns to win her first singles match since 2023 at 45 years old.
Williams has not won another singles match since then, but she will be hoping to find success with Stearns on her side of the court as well.
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As well as the exciting partnership of Williams and Stearns, the doubles tournament also sees the return of former world number one Taylor Townsend, who has not played since the Australian Open.
Townsend will be partnering another former doubles number one in Storm Hunter, instead of her usual partner Katerina Siniakova.
How many women has Venus Williams played doubles with other than Serena?
Venus Williams won 14 Grand Slam doubles titles with her younger sister Serena, who is rumored to be making a return this year and potentially reunite their partnership.
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As well as playing with her sister, Williams has also partnered 12 other women, and Stearns will be the 13th on that list.
Some of the players Venus has partnered with include Coco Gauff, Caroline Wozniacki and Chanda Rubin.
| Venus Williams’ Partner | Tournament | Result |
| Chanda Rubin | Athens Olympics (2004) | Lost in the first round |
| Corina Morariu | Billie Jean King Cup (Fed Cup) tie vs Russia (2005) | Lost to Vera Dushevina and Dinara Safina |
| Lisa Raymond | Billie Jean King Cup (Fed Cup) tie vs Russia (2007) | Lost to Nadia Petrova and Elena Vesnina |
| Caroline Wozniacki | Qatar Open (2008) | Lost in the second round |
| Liezel Huber | Billie Jean King Cup (Fed Cup) tie vs Belarus (2012) | Beat Darya Kustova and Anastasia Yakimova |
| Madison Keys | Italian Open 2018 | Withdrew ahead of their second round match |
| Harriet Dart | Birmingham 2019 | Lost in the first round |
| Coco Gauff | Roland Garros 2021 | Lost in the first round |
| Hailey Baptiste | Washington Open 2025 | Lost in the quarterfinals |
| Leylah Fernandez | US Open 2025 | Lost in the quarterfinals |
| Elina Svitolina | ASB Classic 2026 | Lost in the first round |
| Ekaterina Alexandrova | Australian Open 2026 | Lost in the first round |
| Peyton Stearns | ATX Open 2026 | Pending |
After Serena retired from tennis at the 2022 US Open, Venus did not play doubles with any other player until last year.
Since then, Venus has partnered Hailey Baptiste, Leylah Fernandez, Elina Svitolina, the aforementioned Alexandrova and now Stearns.
The most successful of those partnerships came at the US Open last year, as Venus and Fernandez reached the quarterfinals.
Venus Williams will hope for more success at the ATX Open, where she is confirmed to begin her singles campaign on Tuesday, February 24.
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