Knee injury ends Serena Williams’ Wimbledon comeback

Serena Williams' highly anticipated Wimbledon comeback has been cut short by a knee injury, forcing her withdrawal from the doubles tournament. The American legend and her sister Venus were scheduled to play their first-round doubles match on Saturday, but Serena announced just hours before that her knee had not sufficiently healed.

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I’m heartbroken to have to withdraw from doubles.

Williams, 44, suffered the injury during her singles match defeat against Australia's Maya Joint on Tuesday. This marked her first singles match since the 2025 US Open, following a four-year retirement from the sport. The sisters, who have won the Wimbledon doubles title six times, were set to face Solana Sierra and Camila Osorio after receiving a wild card entry.

"I’m heartbroken to have to withdraw from doubles," Williams stated on Instagram. "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."

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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.

Fans were disappointed as Williams, a seven-time Wimbledon singles champion, was only able to compete in one singles match. She had been motivated by a desire to play in front of her two young daughters, Olympia and Adira. Williams had previously returned to tennis at Queen’s Club last month, playing doubles with Victoria Mboko, but an injury to her partner curtailed that run. She also competed in the Berlin doubles before accepting the Wimbledon wild card.

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The photo of the syringes shows the fluid they drained from my knee after my singles match…yikes!