Serena Williams has withdrawn from her first-round Wimbledon doubles match alongside sister Venus Williams due to a knee injury, ending her return to SW19 after a singles defeat earlier this week.
Injury forces doubles exit
The 44-year-old seven-time Wimbledon champion accepted a wildcard to play her first professional singles match since the 2022 US Open, as well as doubles with Venus. However, she 'tweaked' her right knee during her first-round singles loss to Maya Joint on Tuesday. Despite being given maximum time to recover, Williams confirmed she is not fit to compete in Saturday evening's doubles match.
In an Instagram statement, Williams said: 'I'm heartbroken to have to withdraw from doubles. Coming back to compete again has been a gift, and the opportunity to play alongside Venus Williams once more meant the world to me. I did everything I could to be ready, but unfortunately my knee just isn't ready to compete.'
Photos show extent of injury
Alongside her statement, Williams shared photos showing heavy strapping on her right knee and syringes filled with fluid drained from the joint. 'The photo of the syringes shows the fluid they drained from my knee after my singles match…yikes!' she added. 'The good news is my knee shouldn't swell or collect that much fluid again. The bad news is that, as hard as I tried, I just wasn't able to get it ready for doubles.'
Williams did not field questions from media after her singles defeat, providing brief quotes via the All England Club: 'It was really great to be back at Wimbledon. I never expected to be here. The atmosphere was amazing. Walking out was amazing. I definitely relished it and missed it and enjoyed the moment more than anything.'
Future uncertain
While her Instagram post alluded to competing further—'All I can say is stay tuned to a city near you…'—Williams has not formally confirmed plans to play again. The tennis calendar now moves to the North American hard court swing, with the US Open beginning August 30. Unlike Serena, Venus did not receive a singles wildcard; she competed in mixed doubles with Kevin Krawietz, losing in straight sets to Lloyd Glasspool and Tereza Mihalikova.
