Serena Williams’ Wimbledon comeback came to an abrupt end on Saturday after the American great withdrew from the doubles competition with a knee injury.
Williams and her sister, Venus, had been due to play their first-round doubles match later on Saturday, but Serena announced just hours before the contest that her knee had not recovered sufficiently for her to compete.
“I’m heartbroken to have to withdraw from doubles,” the 44-year-old wrote on Instagram.
The 23-time Grand Slam singles champion sustained the injury during her first-round singles defeat to Australia’s Maya Joint on Tuesday.
The match marked Serena’s return to Grand Slam singles competition for the first time since the 2022 US Open, having spent four years in retirement.
The Williams sisters, six-time Wimbledon doubles champions, had received a wild card into the tournament and were scheduled to face Solana Sierra and Camila Osorio.
Earlier on Saturday, tournament organisers omitted their match from the official order of play, fuelling speculation that Serena might be forced to withdraw.
Those fears were confirmed when the seven-time Wimbledon singles champion revealed that persistent swelling in her knee had ruled her out of the doubles draw.
“Coming back to compete again has been a gift, and the opportunity to play alongside Venus once more meant the world to me,” she said.
“I did everything I could to be ready, but unfortunately my knee just isn’t ready to compete.
“The photo of the syringes shows the fluid they drained from my knee after my singles match… yikes!”
