Serena Williams has withdrawn from this year’s Wimbledon doubles draw with her sister Venus Williams after announcing that her knee isn’t ready to compete. She shared the news on Instagram on July 4, showing a nearly fully-bandaged right leg and photos of syri
Serena Williams didn’t wait for a later update—she posted it the way her body has been telling the story since Wimbledon began. On Saturday, July 4, the 44-year-old announced on Instagram that she would no longer compete in this year’s Wimbledon doubles draw alongside her sister, Venus Williams.
In the post, Serena showed a video of herself walking tenderly on her nearly fully-bandaged right leg. “I’m heartbroken to have to withdraw from doubles,” she wrote. “Coming back to compete again has been a gift. and the opportunity to play alongside @venuswilliams 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.”.
She added that she did not feel unprepared in spirit—just in her knee. “I’m especially grateful to tournament director. Jamie Baker. and the entire tournament team for giving me every opportunity to play here.” Serena thanked the fans for their support for the comeback. then left the door open for the future: “All I can say is stay tuned to a city near you…”.
The doubles withdrawal comes after Serena returned to tennis in June. teaming with Victoria Mboko in a doubles match against Erin Routliffe and Nicole Melichar-Martinez. Mboko, 19, suffered an injury that forced the pair to withdraw. Serena had also spoken about her plan to return on grass. saying in a statement to The Athletic on June 1. “Queen’s Club feels like the perfect place to begin this next chapter.” She continued. “Grass has given me some of the most meaningful moments in my career. and I’m excited to be back competing on one of the sport’s most iconic stages.”.
Ahead of Wimbledon, Serena competed at the Berlin Open alongside Karolina Muchova. There, the duo ultimately lost to Guiliana Olmos and Erin Routliffe 6-4, 6-4.
Her Wimbledon comeback in singles lasted just long enough to underline the stakes. Serena returned for her first singles match in nearly four years against Maya Joint, and she tweaked her knee late in the first set of the match. Joint ultimately won 6-3, 6-7, 6-3.
After that first-round loss. Serena posted on Instagram: “It fels so good to be back on the grass at @wimbledon.” She also wrote about gratitude for the wild card and what it meant for her family. adding that she was “incredibly thankful for the wild card — and even more grateful my daughters got to see that it’s never too late to chase something you love.”.
In Saturday’s doubles update, Serena went further into the medical reality. Along with the video of her struggling to walk on her right knee, she shared photographs of medical syringes filled with fluid taken from that knee, plus images that appeared to show part of her rehab process.
“The photo of the syringes shows the fluid they drained from my knee after my singles match…yikes!” Serena wrote in the caption. “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.”
Serena Williams Venus Williams Wimbledon doubles withdrawal knee injury Instagram Jamie Baker Victoria Mboko Karolina Muchova Maya Joint