Serena Williams’ Wimbledon comeback has come to an early end after the American tennis icon withdrew from the women’s doubles competition because of a knee injury.
The 44-year-old had been due to partner her sister, Venus Williams, in the first round on Saturday but announced just hours before the match that she was no longer fit to compete.
“I’m heartbroken to have to withdraw from doubles,” Serena wrote in a post 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 Wimbledon singles action after four years away from the sport, having previously retired following the 2022 US Open.
Serena and Venus, six-time Wimbledon doubles champions, had received a wildcard for this year’s tournament and were scheduled to face Solana Sierra and Camila Osorio in the opening round.
However, the tournament’s order of play did not assign the pair a court, fuelling speculation that Serena’s fitness remained in doubt.
Confirming her withdrawal, Serena revealed that swelling in her knee had prevented her from continuing her return to competitive tennis.
“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!”
Serena began her comeback at Queen’s Club last month, where she competed in the doubles alongside Canadian player Victoria Mboko.
She later suffered a first-round doubles exit in Berlin while partnering Karolina Muchova before accepting a Wimbledon wildcard for both the singles and doubles events.
