Serena Williams’s Wimbledon comeback has been cut short before she could even step on court with her sister Venus. The 44-year-old pulled out of their first-round doubles match on Saturday, just 15 minutes before she was due to practise, after fluid drained from her left knee following her singles defeat three days earlier.
“I’m heartbroken to have to withdraw from doubles,” Williams wrote on Instagram alongside photographs of bandaging on her knee and syringes filled with what she said was fluid drained from the joint. “Coming back to compete again has been a gift, and the opportunity to play alongside Venus 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.”
“Serena Williams withdraws from Wimbledon doubles with Venus due to knee injury, describing herself as 'heartbroken'.”
The six-time doubles champions, with a combined age of 90, were scheduled to face Colombia’s Camila Osorio and Argentina’s Solana Sierra on Saturday. The match had not been allocated a court and was set for no earlier than 16:30 BST – a loose plan that left Wimbledon room to adjust if the American superstars withdrew.
Williams injured her knee late in the first set of her singles defeat to 20-year-old Maya Joint on Tuesday. She showed little sign of discomfort during the three-set loss and did not ask for treatment, but her agent Jill Smoller later said Williams had “tweaked her right knee at the end of the first set and was therefore excused from her media obligations by the Wimbledon and WTA medical teams”. Williams did not speak to reporters after the match; organisers said she was “not able to undertake” her duties.
Venus, 46, had already exited the mixed doubles alongside Germany’s Kevin Krawietz on Friday. The mood around the All England Club was largely one of sadness and disappointment when news of the withdrawal emerged.
“I’m especially grateful to tournament director Jamie Baker and the entire tournament team for giving me every opportunity to play here,” Serena said. “Thank you to the fans for your incredible support and for making this comeback so meaningful. All I can say is stay tuned to a city near you.”
Williams has not confirmed what her plans are beyond Wimbledon, but the hint of a future appearance leaves the door open for another chapter in one of tennis’s great comebacks.