"She has more experience, so we’d probably play well" - Venus Williams opens door on reuniting with Coco Gauff in doubles format

With her return to tennis looking to continue into the future, Venus Williams will look to compete in more doubles tournaments with a vast array of tennis players very much willing to play alongside a legend of the sport. One she teamed up with in the past was Coco Gauff, with the seven-time Grand Slam champion re-igniting the belief that they could team up and form a dangerous bond on court.

The pair's experience came together back in the 2021 French Open when Williams took to the court with an exciting 17-year-old Gauff who would go on to do great things in the sport after a lightning quick breakthrough from a remarkably young age.

Their time together at Roland Garros was premature with the American duo going down to the 13th seeds Zheng Saisai and Ellen Perez in a tight match ending 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-3. Gauff has gone onto reach three Grand Slam doubles finals, including the 2021 US Open. She tasted glory in the 2024 French Open alongside Katerina Siniakova, with the 21-year-old clinching her second singles Grand Slam title a year later.

Now firmly cemented as one of the best singles players in the world, she has not embarked on as many doubles tournaments, fully committing to singles. Nevertheless, if she does choose to go back down this route then Williams would be a willing partner.

The 45-year-old was confident that the pair would team up and become a lethal duo together. "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."

Since making her return to the sport, Williams has had the pleasure of playing with a number of hugely talented tennis players. The first resulted in triumph when she marked her return to the big stage with a first round win in the 2025 DC Open with Hailey Baptiste. While they would go out in the next round, it was a bright start to the North American hardcourt swing.

She then competed in two doubles event at the US Open. The first came alongside Reilly Opelka and ended in a defeat in the revamped mixed doubles at Flushing Meadows before she partnered with the 2023 French Open doubles finalist Leylah Fernandez. The pair rolled back the years and reached the quarterfinal before being dumped out by the top seeds Siniakova and Taylor Townsend.

She skipped the rest of the year before coming back at the start of 2026 in the ASB Classic. Williams went onto the court with Elina Svitolina as the experienced pair competed against the young prodigies of Alexandra Eala and Iva Jovic. At her return to the Australian Open, she changed her partner again, this time going onto the court with Ekaterina Alexandrova which ended in once again a tight loss.

Her most recent doubles expedition comes just before the Sunshine Swing. Teamed up with fellow American Peyton Stears, the duo fell to the number one seeds Storm Hunter and Townsend. Without a win since the US Open run, she will be hoping to get over this drought sooner rather than later.

With the Indian Wells Open coming up, she has received a wildcard for the tournament. If she is going to compete in the doubles, it will likely be a late choice on who she plays against, following a trend from other tournaments. "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?’

With time on court important for Williams, she has started to play more doubles. The 14-time women's Grand Slam champion will continue this into the future. “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.”