Serena Williams will play no further part in Wimbledon 2026 after pulling out of the women’s doubles due to a knee injury.
The 44-year-old, who was making her first appearance at SW19 in four years after coming out of retirement, was due to play alongside sister Venus Williams but they have been forced to withdraw after Serena injured a knee during her singles defeat to Maya Joint on Tuesday.
Serena and Venus have won the women’s doubles at Wimbledon six times and were the headline act in this year’s line-up.
Serena said in a statement on Instagram: “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 to be ready, but unfortunately my knee just isn’t ready to compete.
“The photo of the syringes shows the fluid they drained from my knee after my singles match…yikes! The good news is my knee shouldn’t swell or collect that much fluid again. The bad news is that, as hard as I tried, I just wasn’t able to get it ready for doubles.”
The Williams sisters had been given the maximum time to prove they were able to play but time beat them.
Serena added: “I’m especially grateful to tournament director, Jamie Baker, and the entire tournament team for giving me every opportunity to play here. 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…”
