Serena Williams has withdrawn from her scheduled doubles match with sister Venus at Wimbledon on Saturday due to a right knee injury. The 44-year-old tennis legend sustained the injury during her singles return earlier in the week, which ended in a three-set loss to Australia's Maya Joint.
Emotional Announcement on Social Media
“I’m heartbroken to have to withdraw from doubles,” Serena wrote in a social media post. “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 but unfortunately my knee just isn’t ready to compete.” The post included images of four syringes, which Serena said “shows the fluid they drained from my knee after my singles match.” An accompanying video showed her walking with strapping up and down her right leg and what appeared to be one of her daughters holding a cane for her.
Impact on Doubles Schedule
The Williams sisters—Venus is 46—were scheduled to play Camila Osorio and Solana Sierra. It was the only first-round doubles match that wasn’t scheduled earlier in the week, having been pushed back to give Serena more time to recover from her loss to Joint on Tuesday (Wednesday AEST). Venus played in the mixed doubles tournament on Friday together with Kevin Krawietz, losing in straight sets to Tereza Mihalikova and Lloyd Glasspool.
Future Plans and Legacy
However, with the US Open approaching, Serena indicated she could play again somewhere else soon. “All I can say is stay tuned to a city near you,” Serena said. The Williams sisters are six-time champions as partners in women’s doubles at Wimbledon.
