Serena Williams pulls out of Wimbledon doubles after knee injury
In the end, the 44-year-old won’t compete with her sister Venus due to a right-knee injury. “I’m heartbroken to have to withdraw,” she said.
Serena Williams will not take the court for her long‑awaited Wimbledon doubles comeback. The 44‑year‑old American star had been scheduled to team up with her sister Venus on Saturday against Colombia’s Camila Osorio and Argentina’s Solana Sierra. But after hurting her right knee during her singles match on Tuesday — a loss to Australia’s Maya Joint — her participation had been in doubt.
Serena confirmed the news on Instagram, writing that she was “heartbroken” to withdraw. “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.”
She also thanked tournament director Jamie Baker and the entire Wimbledon team for giving her “every opportunity” to play, noting that officials delayed the doubles match — originally expected Thursday or Friday — as long as possible. “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…,” she added, hinting at future plans.
Serena shared a photo of syringes used to drain fluid from her knee after Tuesday’s singles match. “Yikes! The good news is my knee shouldn’t swell or collect that much fluid again. The bad news is that, as hard as I tried, I just wasn’t able to get it ready for doubles,” she wrote.
The 23‑time Grand Slam champion is now expected to aim for the US Open later this summer, likely with a pair of wild cards — one for singles and one for doubles.
The Williams sisters’ match had been slated for 5:30 p.m. ET but never received a court assignment. Their spot will now be filled by Britain’s Samantha Murray Sharan and Thailand’s Lanlana Tararudee, with play scheduled for no earlier than 6:00 p.m. ET.
Serena and Venus last played doubles together nearly four years ago, in the first round of the 2022 US Open, where they fell to the Czech duo of Lucie Hradecká and Linda Nosková. Ahead of Wimbledon, Serena teamed up with Canada’s Victoria Mboko — winning the title at Queen’s before Mboko was injured — and later partnered with Czech player Karolína Muchová in Bad Homburg, where they lost.
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