US Open makes final decision on Serena and Venus Williams after press no-show

While the world was hooked on the iconic tennis duo Serena and Venus Williams' run at the US Open, their postgame media unavailability after a match loss shifted the spotlight. Following their 6-3, 6-7(6), 7-6(10-7) first-round doubles loss to Maya Joint and Chan Hao-ching, the Williams sisters were requested and expected to show up for the press. They didn't, and such a code violation would've landed any other player a fine. But the US Open officiated them differently. 'The USTA told Bounces on Saturday that neither Serena nor Venus would be fined for skipping press a day earlier,' reported famous tennis journalist and author Ben Rothenberg on September 6, 2026. 'Fines aren't usually published for WTA Tour events; they normally are at Grand Slam events.' Rothenberg was one of the journalists who requested a media availability from the pair. He reported that players rarely skip press conferences due to obligations and possible fines. However, Serena Williams didn't seem to be bothered by it. 'On Friday night, Bounces has learned, speaking to media was a non-starter for the sisters. Well, specifically, one sister,' he added to the same article. 'After waving to the crowd as she walked off Ashe, Serena fled the scene as fast as she could … riding away into the New York City night.' Although the older Williams went to the locker room like other players, the press conference couldn't take place. And none of these surprised Rothenberg. Many times in his career, Rothenberg has watched the Williams sisters repeatedly skip press. Notably, in the 2016 Australian Open, Venus Williams was fined $5,000 for skipping press. But things haven't really changed. 'As someone who has been covering them for a long time, the update was entirely unsurprising,' the former NYT journalist wrote in the same post. 'The Williamses, in many ways, are not like other players. Between them, I could easily count 15-20 times when they haven't shown up to press.' But it is the USTA's decision not to fine them that leaves room for debating how 'fair' the whole situation was. This move also limited the tennis world from knowing what the future may hold for these two icons. This article first appeared on TheSheGotGame and was syndicated with permission.