Serena Williams Withdraws from Wimbledon Doubles After Knee Injury
Serena Williams Withdraws from Wimbledon Doubles After Knee Injury
Serena Williams has pulled out of the Wimbledon doubles tournament after hurting her knee during her singles match. She was supposed to play alongside her sister Venus — their first Grand Slam doubles partnership together since 2022. Williams announced the withdrawal on Instagram on July 4, 2026.
The injury happened late in the first set of her opening singles match against Australian player Maya Joint, who is 20 years old, according to Reuters. Williams lost the match in three sets. She skipped her scheduled interview with reporters after the match — the tournament said she was unable to do so — and her agent, Jill Smoller, confirmed the knee problem via ESPN. By Friday, the doubles match had already been scheduled for Saturday, so the withdrawal was officially announced that day.
"I'm heartbroken to have to withdraw from doubles," Williams wrote on Instagram. She thanked the tournament director, Jamie Baker, for letting her try to play. She ended with a hint about the future: "All I can say is stay tuned to a city near you."
The sisters had been given a wild card — a special entry — to play at Wimbledon 2026, announced on June 16. They were set to face Camila Osorio from Colombia and Solana Sierra from Argentina. Serena and Venus hold a record at Wimbledon: they have won the doubles championship six times together. Serena alone has won 23 Grand Slam singles titles. She was 44 years old during this tournament.
The injury itself is straightforward to explain: Williams tweaked her right knee during a match, lost the singles game, and felt enough physical strain to sit out the doubles. For an athlete in her mid-forties coming back to competitive tennis, this kind of sequence is not surprising from a medical standpoint.
What makes this moment worth paying attention to is the bigger picture. Williams returned at age 44 to play in a major tennis tournament. She got a special entry to play doubles with her sister for the first time in four years. She played a singles match against someone less than half her age. All of this was already unusual before the injury forced her out.
Her mysterious Instagram message — she did not explain what comes next — leaves open questions about her future in tennis. She could play exhibition matches, enter other tournaments, or step back from the sport. She has not said which. The BBC's reporting on the withdrawal was still developing as of July 4, with the story marked "More to follow."
What is certain: the knee injury, not a choice about retiring or future plans, is what ended her time at Wimbledon this year. Venus Williams' next move — whether she finds a new partner or withdraws herself — had not been decided at the time of reporting.
