Serena Williams shared the heartbreaking news of her withdrawal from the women’s doubles tournament at the 2026 Wimbledon Championships.
The 44-year-old was set to renew her legendary partnership with sister Venus Williams in the doubles event. However, a knee injury forced her to pull out at the last minute.
Serena Williams Shares Heartbreaking Injury News at Wimbledon
Williams made her Grand Slam return after four years out at the Wimbledon Championships, accepting a wildcard to compete in the women’s singles and doubles events. She faced Maya Joint in the first round of singles and delivered a resilient performance but fell to defeat in three hard-fought sets.
A knee injury suffered during the singles match also forced the 23-time singles Grand Slam champion to withdraw from the women’s doubles event.
“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 Williams 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,” Williams said in a statement on Instagram.
Williams also posted images of herself receiving treatment and four syringes. “The photo of the syringes shows the fluid they drained from my knee after my singles match…yikes!”
However, the injury does not mean the end of Williams’ comeback to tennis. The tennis legend teased fans ahead of a possible return to the tennis court during the upcoming North American swing.
“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.
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It remains to be seen what comes next for Williams after an encouraging grass-court swing, with some speculating that she could stick around and keep playing till the 2028 LA Olympics. Even at the age of 44, she is one of the most popular players in tennis. There will no doubt be growing calls from fans to see her back on the court during the hardcourt season.
Williams started her comeback by partnering with Victoria Mboko at the HSBC Championships. They won their first match, but the Canadian player suffered an injury and had to withdraw from the tournament. She then partnered with Karolína Muchová in Berlin, where they lost their opening match.
