Wimbledon tournament director Jamie Baker has stressed the importance of Serena Williams’ doubles match with her sister Venus going ahead by declaring that the tournament will do as much as they can for the 44-year-old 23-time Grand Slam champion.
The Championships issued Williams with both a doubles and a singles wildcard after its seven-time winner announced her shock return to court after four years last month.
Williams was defeated in the first round in an enthralling three-set clash with Australian 20-year-old Maya Joint, but concerns were raised over her ability to step back onto the SW19 grass after she injured her right knee during the contest.
After withdrawing from press on Tuesday, Williams has given fans no further clue over whether she will play with her sister, and with ladies’ doubles first-round matches traditionally played on the first Thursday and Friday, her absence from the schedule on both days had raised eyebrows.
‘We are giving her as much time (as possible), obviously,’ Baker clarified on Friday morning. ‘We want her to play if she, if she possibly can.
‘In terms of the days (the first-round matches should be played), it’s actually a guideline, like that’s what we’re hoping to do, based on trying to get the tournament finished.
Serena Williams remains in the doubles draw with the tournament prepared to wait for their biggest star
‘There are sometimes exceptional circumstances, whether it’s weather or injuries, or sometimes also conflicts of players playing in like two or three events – so it doesn’t happen that often – but occasionally you do get the odd match that carries over.
‘We wouldn’t do that if we felt it was putting the rest of the competition in any type of danger of putting it back.’
Baker added that Williams was definitely still in the ladies’ doubles draw, and that Venus would not be able to re-pair at this late stage if her sister did withdraw.
The tournament director also hinted that the superstar siblings could play their tie against Solana Sierra and Camila Osorio on one of the site’s biggest show courts, after Williams’ evening clash with Joint made for appointment viewing on Centre Court.
With the scheduling more sympathetic to a US audience, Williams’ match commanded peak viewing figures of 2.1million, with ESPN reporting its largest Day 2 audience ever, and most-viewed first round.
‘Serena and Venus, they’re massive global stars, so there’s a lot of people who want to see (them), but scheduling, I’ve talked it over before, it’s a balance between all the different matches that you have, and a bit of a jigsaw,’ Baker continued. ‘Obviously the show courts at the start of the week are definitely prioritised for the singles matches, but we’ll see how it shapes up tomorrow.’
Baker added that security – with scores of fans bearing grounds passes – would be a factor in decided where the Williams sisters would play.
‘That is a major consideration with scheduling, obviously, not just with Serena or Venus, but any of our singles matches that we know have got a big following,’ he added. ‘The first thing we think about is numbers of people, and safety.’
As a doubles pair, Williams and Williams have won Wimbledon six times, the lion’s share of their 14 Grand Slam titles in the format.
But the returning legend has been open about the fact that she is in a race against time to ensure she is fit to play.
Williams skipped her press conference on Tuesday evening after sustaining the injury, and is believed to have been brought crutches in the locker room before eventually leaving SW19 unaided.
Sharing her first public statement on social media on Wednesday, Williams acknowledged the importance of returning to court again.
‘It felt so good to be back on the grass at Wimbledon,’ Williams wrote on Instagram. ‘I’m incredibly thankful for the wild card – and even more grateful my daughters got to see that it’s never too late to chase something you love.
‘I tweaked my knee late in the first set, but I’ll be doing everything I can to be ready for doubles with Venus. Congratulations to Maya Joint on a great match, and thank you to everyone who showed up and showed me so much love. That feeling will never get old.’
