体坛英语新闻：Williams sisters offered wild card to play doubles at Roland Garros

PARIS, May 24 (Xinhua) -- Venus and Serena Williams are set to feature in women's doubles at the 2018 French Open after being offered a wild card by tournament organizers on Thursday.

It will be the first time for the Williams sisters to play doubles at a Grand Slam tournament in nearly two years after they won the Wimbledon title in 2016.

The two-time champions are one of six pairs to be given a wild card at Roland Garros this year.

The Williams sisters lifted the trophy together on their French Open debut in 1999 and again in 2010.

Following their success in 2010, the duo have only featured in doubles twice in French capital, losing in the first round in 2013 and the third round in 2016.

Doubles specialists Ekaterina Makarova/Elena Vesnina, both from Russia, will split this time, as Vesnina will partner with last edition's singles champion Jelena Ostapenko, while Makarova will play with compatriot Anna Kalinskaya.

Lucie Safarova/Bethanie Mattek-Sands, the defending champions, were another pair set to play with different partners this year.

Mattek-Sands will play with Latisha Chan of Chinese Taipei, while Safarova will partner with Svetlana Kuznetsova.