Venus Williams and Hailey Baptiste Withdraw from French Open Women’s Doubles

On Thursday, Venus Williams and Hailey Baptiste withdrew from the women’s doubles draw at the French Open. The tournament’s organizers did not provide a reason for the withdrawal. Baptiste had been forced to retire from her second-round singles match against Wang Xiyu after landing awkwardly on her left leg late in the first set. Following the pair’s exit, the vacant slot was filled by the team of Eudice Chong and Veronika Erjavec.

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Venus Williams – The American veteran, who turns 46 next month, is a seven-time major singles champion and former world No. 1 in both singles and doubles. She previously won the French Open women’s doubles with her sister Serena in 1999 and 2010, and she was the runner-up in the French Open singles final in 2002. At the Australian Open earlier this year, Williams entered the singles draw as a wild-card, lost in the first round, and became the oldest woman ever to compete in an Australian Open singles main draw.

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Hailey Baptiste – Also representing the United States, Baptiste was competing in both singles and doubles at Roland Garros. Her singles campaign ended prematurely after a left-leg injury forced her retirement in the second round, prompting the subsequent doubles withdrawal.

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Eudice Chong & Veronika Erjavec – The pair were inserted into the draw to replace Williams and Baptiste. No additional details about their rankings or recent results are provided in the source material.

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Williams’ participation in the Australian Open as a singles wild-card underscores her continued presence on the tour despite approaching her mid-40s. Her first-round loss there marked a historic milestone: she became the oldest female competitor in an Australian Open singles main draw. This milestone follows a career that includes seven major singles titles, multiple weeks at world No. 1, and two French Open doubles championships alongside her sister.

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• Age: 45 years (turning 46 next month)

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• Major singles titles: 7

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• Former world No. 1: Singles and doubles

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• French Open doubles titles: 1999, 2010 (with Serena Williams)

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• French Open singles final: 2002 (lost to Serena Williams)

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• Australian Open record: Oldest woman to compete in a singles main draw (2024)

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The French Open officials have not issued a public statement explaining the withdrawal of Williams and Baptiste. Likewise, the source does not contain any direct comments from the players themselves. The absence of an official rationale constitutes a notable information gap in the reporting of this event.

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Eudice Chong and Veronika Erjavec now occupy the vacated slot in the women’s doubles bracket. Their entry ensures that the draw remains complete, though the source provides no further details on their upcoming matches or potential impact on the tournament’s progression.

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