Serena Williams’ Wimbledon comeback has suffered another setback after a knee injury forced her out of the doubles competition.
Serena Williams has withdrawn from the Wimbledon doubles event with her sister, Venus Williams, after injuring her knee during her first-round singles defeat to Australia’s Maya Joint. The 44-year-old was scheduled to return to Grand Slam doubles action for the first time since 2022 but was ruled unfit to compete.
The 23-time Grand Slam singles champion said she was “heartbroken” to miss the chance to play alongside Venus again. Williams revealed her knee had swollen after Tuesday’s match and shared images showing heavy bandaging and medical treatment to drain fluid from the joint.
“I’m heartbroken to have to withdraw from doubles,” said Serena in a post on Instagram, external.”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.”
The Williams sisters are six-time Wimbledon doubles champions, making their planned reunion one of the tournament’s biggest attractions. Serena has not confirmed when she will return, with attention now turning to the North American hard-court season ahead of the US Open.
Serena Williams says she hopes to return to competition soon, urging fans to “stay tuned” for her next appearance.
