Wimbledon: Injury for Serena Williams, doubles with sister Venus in doubt

Serena Williams’ much-anticipated return to the All England Club has been thrown into doubt after an overnight injury scare. The 44-year-old tennis icon suffered a heartbreaking three-set defeat (6-3, 6-7, 6-3) to Australian rising star Maya Joint in the first round of singles, but the bigger concern for fans at SW19 is her fitness for the rest of the tournament.

The legendary American, who fought her way through a grueling two-hour and 22-minute battle on center court, struggled noticeably with movement in the latter stages of the match. Alarm bells rang louder when Williams skipped her mandatory post-match press conferencewhich sparked immediate speculation about her condition and the viability of her planned wild card appearance in the women’s doubles alongside her sister Venus.

However, her camp moved quickly to clarify the situation, confirming the knee issue but leaving the door open for Thursday’s performance.

“Serena tweaked her right knee at the end of the first set and was excused from media duties by the Wimbledon and WTA medical teams,” Williams’ agent Jill Smoller said.

“She left the venue unassisted that evening and is doing everything she can to be ready for her doubles match later this week.

The Williams sisters, who have won the Wimbledon doubles title a combined six times, have been awarded a wild card, making the tournament nostalgic. They are scheduled to face the unseeded pair of Camila Osorio and Solana Sierra.

The injury is a crushing blow for Serena after she showed immense grit to push Joint to a deciding set. While her typical strength and fierce competitive spirit were on full display, the physical toll of the intense return to grass was evident.

Wimbledon’s medical staff will continue to monitor the 23-time Grand Slam singles champion for the next 24 hours. Given her legendary tenacity, tennis fans remain hopeful that the iconic sibling duo will have their moment under the British sun.

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Issued by:

Akshay Ramesh

Published on:

01 Jul 2026 18:43 IST