Serena Williams and Venus Williams Spark Backlash Over What They Did After US Open Exit – “Hope They Get Fined”

Serena Williams and Venus Williams finally played their first Grand Slam together since the 2022 US Open. In the ongoing US Open, the legendary sisters locked horns with Maya Joint and Chan Hao-ching in a thrilling first-round match.

It was the pair of Joint and Hao-ching that ended the match in their favor with a 6-3, 6-7(6), 7-6(7) scoreline. Venus and Serena played their first match together since the latter’s retirement reversal at the Cincinnati Open, where Marta Kostyuk and Peyton Stearns beat them in the opening round.

Before the women’s doubles, Serena competed in the mixed doubles alongside Carlos Alcaraz. They first beat Lloyd Glasspool and Erin Routliffe but lost to Belinda Bencic and Flavio Cobolli in the quarterfinals.

Venus and Serena received wild cards in both Cincinnati and the US Open. The 46-year-old, in fact, was given the wild card to feature in singles as well in her home Slam. She lost to countrywoman Sofia Kenin in the first round, which also marked her 12th consecutive defeat in singles.

Fans slam Serena Williams and Venus Williams for skipping the press conference

Many in the tennis world have been criticizing the tournaments for handing Venus Williams the wild cards after one defeat after another. Then she and Serena Williams found themselves on the receiving end of criticism when they decided not to attend the press conference after their US Open exit.

Check out how fans reacted:

When are we going to talk about the fact that Serena's "comeback" has been an abject disaster?

— Brian (@BriGuySense) September 5, 2026

They continue to act like they are bigger than the sport that has given them everything

— Thor (@ThorSUU) September 5, 2026

Surprise, surprise. The exemptions given to S Williams, especially, have enabled this behaviour.

— Shauna Dale 🐋 (@ShaunaDale18) September 5, 2026

They should be given a massive fine

— Grrr..P Bear…grrr (@p_grrr) September 5, 2026

Hope they get fined then. Disgraceful

— Matthew Harris (@E5C4P366) September 5, 2026

Fake smiles walking off the court, but too afraid to face the press. Losers !

— Todd Colt (@todd_colt) September 5, 2026

Damn sure they would be doing press if they won. They're pathetic

— KI_Kake (@KIKake2) September 5, 2026

News flash, #Serena is not a good person. She was (key word – WAS) a tremendous athlete. But never a good sport or gracious person.

— Topspin Assassin (@dankourny) September 5, 2026

Venus last won a singles title at the 2016 Taiwan Open; since then, she has played four singles finals, most recently reaching the 2017 WTA Finals, which she lost to Caroline Wozniacki. Serena, on the other hand, last clinched a singles title at the 2020 ASB Classic by beating countrywoman Jessica Pegula.

Maya Joint reacts after winning the doubles match against Serena Williams and Venus Williams

Serena made her comeback from retirement at the Queen’s Club Championships, where she played doubles with Victoria Mboko and won the opening round. The Canadian ace then suffered an injury during her singles match, which forced them to withdraw from doubles.

Serena next played the Berlin Open with Wimbledon runner-up Karolina Muchova and lost in the opening round. She played her first singles match (since the 2022 US Open third round) at Wimbledon after receiving a wild card.

In a thrilling match, Joint clinched a three-set win over the 23-time Grand Slam singles champion. Serena suffered an injury during the match, so she decided not to play singles at the US Open. And now, Joint once again upset Serena, this time in doubles with Hao-ching.

I think the crowd is pretty much what we expected. We expected a full stadium, and everyone cheering them, and it was pretty much that. But the atmosphere is super special. You’re not really going to get that again with many other players.

Maya Joint said (H/T: WTA Tour)

Joint and Hao-ching will next be facing Tamara Korpatsch and Nicole Fossa Huergo, who defeated Czech aces Jesika Maleckova and Miriam Skoch.

I felt relieved. I was very nervous. I was very stressed during the match, especially the second and third sets. Especially at the net, my movement, I felt like I wasn’t really doing anything, and I didn’t go for a volley. I was hesitant. I felt very, very relieved when it was over.

Maya Joint added

Joint also competed in singles. After overcoming Liudmila Samsonova, the 20-year-old lost to Elina Svitolina in the second round. It was the third time in her career that the Aussie lost in the second round of the US Open after making her debut in 2024.

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