Serena and Venus Williams slammed by critics after snubbing media following doubles defeat in US Open return

Serena Williams and Venus Williams bowed out of the US Open doubles last night to the hands of the 14th seeds Hao-Ching Chan and Maya Joint. It was a terrific contest which saw the sisters almost produce a marvellous comeback before blowing a hefty tiebreak advantage to lose 6-3, 6-7(6), 7-6(7). Their valiant efforts on the courts have been recognised, but the pair are aggravating more criticism after choosing to snub the media following their loss.

The Flushing Meadows crowd were delighted to see the Williams duo back on court after a four-year hiatus. It is only their second match since Serena's return together following a late withdrawal from Wimbledon after the 23-time Grand Slam champion injured her knee following the singles defeat against Joint.

The Aussie was again at the opposite end of the net, and again came out triumphant but in this different category. The Williams sisters showed their sheer class at times and were pumped up for the occasion, but in the end just could not get over the line, blowing a 5-0 lead in the final set tiebreak.

Tennis fans around the world were expectant and excited to hear what they had to say with the press and journalists in attendance in New York patiently waiting for them to emerge. However, they never did as they opted to not partake their supposed mandatory press duties.

This has caused them to get a lot of heat, especially with this not being the first time this has occurred. At Wimbledon, Serena used her knee injury as an excuse not to speak to the media, something that also was not met with a warm reception by tennis fans.

The Williams sisters had been given a great opportunity to return to the court and compete following a dominant period in singles and doubles spanning two decades. They may not be getting positive results regularly on court, but they are most certainly attracting a huge amount of fans and supporters who sit in awe as two of the best to ever do it play their trade.

Nevertheless, at the same time a level of disrespect has been showcased towards the fans and media in terms of them not partaking their mandatory duties when all the other players are doing so with no fuss. They were happy to do it at the Cincinnati Open when they finally got back on the court together, but that was not repeated at the US Open to the bemusement of many.

Despite getting handed wildcards and being great ambassadors for the sport, there many be a number of tennis fans and spectators who believe that they are not reaching those standards. They could be in line for fines for missing the press conferences, a common punishment for that act. This could be around $50,000 (£37,000) but may not be the biggest of concerns for the pair.

As for their next venture, it is yet to be seen if they continue their comeback together in Asia or if they wait until the start of 2027 to feature Down Under in the build up to the Australian Open. Whatever their decision may be, it will be met with a lot of well deserving hype and buzz.