Overview
- Serena Williams said Saturday that she has withdrawn from the planned Wimbledon doubles with sister Venus because her knee is not fit for competition.
- The injury occurred during her singles comeback loss to Maya Joint on Tuesday and left her needing fluid drained from the knee, images of which she posted on social media.
- Wimbledon had given the sisters a doubles wildcard and moved their first-round match to Saturday to allow extra recovery time, but the pairing will not take the court against Solana Sierra and Camila Osorio.
- Williams wrote that she "did everything" to be ready and thanked tournament director Jamie Baker, the organizers and fans for their support while stopping short of announcing a retirement.
- The cancellation ends this Wimbledon reunion for now but does not close the door on future appearances by Serena, and it underscores the practical challenge of returning to high-level play after a knee injury; the sisters together have won 14 Grand Slam doubles titles and multiple Olympic gold medals.