Serena, Venus Williams Withdraw from 2015 Wimbledon Women's Doubles

World No. 1 Serena Williams and sister Venus Williams may very well clash in the fourth round of the women's singles draw at Wimbledon, but it was announced Tuesday they won't be competing together in doubles.  

According to Wimbledon's official Twitter account, the Williams sisters have decided to withdraw from the doubles tournament at the All England Club:

Serena and Venus have formed a dominant doubles team over the years, as they have 13 Grand Slam titles as a unit, including five at Wimbledon. Their participation has been spotty in recent years, though, and they haven't won a major doubles championship since Wimbledon 2012.

As pointed out by Ben Rothenberg of the New York Times, this isn't the first time that the Williams sisters have unexpectedly pulled out of a doubles draw this year:

While there are likely to be some entertaining matches in the women's doubles tournament, Grantland's Brian Phillips believes the Williams sisters have already managed to overshadow that simply by announcing their withdrawal:

"

Serena and Venus have withdrawn from Wimbledon doubles, thus giving Wimbledon doubles the most publicity it will receive this year.

— Brian Phillips (@runofplay) June 30, 2015"

The exact reasoning behind their decision to bow out is unclear, but it isn't outside the realm of possibility that a potential meeting between them in the fourth round has something to do with it.

Both cruised to straight-sets victories in the first round with Venus crushing the up-and-coming Madison Brengle 6-0, 6-0. When told by media members that she may have to take on her sister in singles, Serena immediately knew it would be a challenge, per Melissa Isaacson of ESPNW.com: "I didn't know that. Um, well, she's been really tough. Last time we played (in the 2014 Rogers Cup), she actually beat me. That's not going to be an easy match. You know what, I'm going to just focus on right now. ... You got me."

With doubles no longer in the equation, both Williams sisters can focus on their individual pursuits of a sixth career Wimbledon singles title.

Also, Serena is chasing the 2015 Grand Slam after already winning the Australian Open and the French Open this year.

Rest could prove to be paramount for the veteran players, and pulling out of the doubles tournament may be the best thing for them in that regard.

Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter.