- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 1,208,339
- Reaction score
- 59
You must be registered for see images attach
Serena Williams has been unable to overcome a knee injury - Andrew Matthews/PA
Serena Williams hinted that she had not said her final Wimbledon goodbye on Saturday after withdrawing from her planned doubles comeback with sister Venus.
The 44-year-old was given extra time by organisers to give her the best chance of returning for her opening-round doubles tie but pulled out shortly before a scheduled practice session at 4pm. Williams, who suffered an injury during her three-set defeat in the singles on Tuesday by Maya Joint, later posted images on Instagram which hardly suggested that she had been close to making it.
Posting photographs of heavy strapping and four syringes full of fluid drawn from her knee, Williams wrote: “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.”
You must be registered for see images attach
Williams posted images of her undergoing treatment on Instagram (above) including a photo of the fluid that was removed from her knee (below) - Instagram
You must be registered for see images attach
The Olympic skier Lindsey Vonn, who suffered numerous serious knee injuries during his career, including after a crash at this year’s Winter Olympics that could have left her unable to walk again, said: “That’s a solid fluid count, damn.”
The Williams sisters have won 14 grand-slam doubles titles together, including six at Wimbledon, but had not played competitively together since 2022. They were due to face Camila Osorio and Solana Sierra in round one after receiving a wild card into the draw. The ongoing speculation over Williams’s fitness had left the South American duo in limbo amid claims the American was getting preferential treatment. The first round was supposed to have been completed on Thursday and Friday.
Williams said she was “heartbroken” about pulling out but suggested that her comeback would not be restricted to this year’s Wimbledon. “Coming back to compete again has been a gift, and the opportunity to play alongside Venus once more meant the world to me,” she said. “I did everything I could to be ready, but unfortunately my knee just isn’t ready to compete.
“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.”
Given her superstar appeal, Williams’ withdrawal is a major blow for Wimbledon, which was prepared to tweak its scheduling to give the 23-time grand-slam champion the best possible chance to play. As a result of Williams’ withdrawal, Venus also relinquished her place in the draw as it was too late for her to pick a new partner, with the pair replaced by Great Britain’s Samantha Sharan and Thailand’s Lanlana Tararudee. They were soon beaten 6-3, 6-4.
Organisers were hopeful that by giving Williams an extra day to recover, she would be able to fulfil the blockbuster fixture. Early round doubles matches are usually scheduled on one of the outside courts but, had Williams been fit, the pair would have almost certainly played on a main show court.
Earlier in the day, Baker defended the decision to give Williams extra time to try and be fit, hailing her and Venus as “global stars”.
Williams skipped her post-match press conference after her singles defeat last Tuesday. Regulations state that players may be exempt from press conferences in the event they sustain an injury.
She had not practised since her defeat against Joint, the world No 87, and the doubles match was not assigned a specific court on Saturday’s order of play. After Venus suffered defeat in the first round of the mixed doubles on Friday, she also failed to attend a post-match press conference and may be fined.
Try full access to The Telegraph free today. Unlock their award-winning website and essential news app, plus useful tools and expert guides for your money, health and holidays.
Continue reading...
