Serena Williams withdrew from her Wimbledon doubles match with sister Venus on Saturday due to a right knee injury, ending the Williams sisters' anticipated reunion at the Grand Slam.
Injury Details
The 44-year-old Serena sustained the injury during her singles return earlier in the week, a three-set loss to 20-year-old Maya Joint of Australia on Tuesday. In an Instagram post, Serena expressed her disappointment: '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 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 Match
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. Venus played in the mixed doubles tournament on Friday with Kevin Krawietz, losing in straight sets to Tereza Mihalikova and Lloyd Glasspool.
Future Plans
However, with the U.S. Open approaching, Serena indicated she could play again somewhere else soon. 'All I can say,' Serena said, 'is stay tuned to a city near you.' The Williams sisters are six-time champions as partners in women's doubles at Wimbledon.
