Serena Williams will not be taking the court alongside her sister Venus Williams at Wimbledon after all. The Associated Press confirmed that the 44-year-old withdrew from Saturday’s doubles match due to a right knee injury she sustained earlier in the week during her singles return, which ended in a three-set loss.
Serena shared the news in an Instagram post, expressing how much the moment meant to her despite the setback. “I’m heartbroken to have to withdraw from doubles,” she wrote, according to the AP. “Coming back to compete again has been a gift, and the opportunity to play alongside Venus Williams once more meant the world to me. I did everything I could but unfortunately my knee just isn’t ready to compete.”
On Instagram, Serena showed four syringes filled with the fluid drained from her knee following her singles match, and a video of herself walking with strapping wrapped around her right leg. One of her daughters appears to be holding a cane for her.
Despite the withdrawal, Serena hinted that her comeback isn’t necessarily over, teasing a possible appearance ahead of the U.S. Open. “All I can say,” she wrote, “is stay tuned to a city near you.”
The AP noted that the sisters, with Venus now 46, had been scheduled to face Camila Osorio and Solana Sierra in what was the tournament’s only first-round doubles match not already completed earlier in the week, having been pushed back specifically to give Serena additional recovery time.
Serena’s singles run at Wimbledon ended in a 6-3, 6-7 (6), 6-3 loss to 20-year-old Maya Joint of Australia on Tuesday. Venus, for her part, competed in mixed doubles on Friday alongside partner Kevin Krawietz, falling in straight sets to Tereza Mihalikova and Lloyd Glasspool.
The Williams sisters remain six-time Wimbledon women’s doubles champions as partners, a legacy that made Saturday’s scheduled reunion especially anticipated before the injury forced its cancellation.
