Tennis icon Serena Williams has officially withdrawn from the Wimbledon doubles tournament ending the highly anticipated reunion with her sister, Venus Williams.
The pair who have secured six titles at the All England Club together were scheduled to play their first-round match on Saturday, July 4, against Camila Osorio and Solana Sierra.
Injury forces Serena’s withdrawal
The decision comes after Serena sustained right knee injury during her singles return earlier in the week. Despite undergoing intensive recovery efforts, the 44-year-old athlete confirmed she could not compete.
In an emotional statement posted on social media, she wrote:
“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 once more meant the world to me. I did everything I could but unfortunately me knee isn’t ready to compete.”
Physical toll of the comeback
Serena’s return to Grand Slam tennis after a four-year hiatus faced a difficult setback during her opening-round singles match which she lost to Maya Joint. Following the match, she underwent treatment to drain fluid from her injured knee.
Sharing photos of the medical procedure, she explained:
“The photo of the syringes is the fluid they drained from my knee after my singles match – yikes! The good news is that my knee shouldn’t swell or collect that much fluid again. The bad news is that, as hard as I tried, I wasn’t able to be ready for doubles.”
Gratitude and future outlook
Despite the disappointment, Serena expressed her sincere appreciation for the support she received during the tournament. “I’m especially grateful to tournament director Jamie Baker and the entire tournament team for giving me every opportunity to recover,” she said.
She also reached out her supporters concluding her message with a hopeful hint for the future: “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.”
