Serena Williams is looking to brighter days ahead after her first Wimbledon match ended in a loss, especially with an injury.
The tennis legend, 44, returned to grass courts after a nearly four-year retirement, entering Wimbledon as a wildcard entry. She played her match against Maya Joint on Tuesday, June 30, which ended in a victory for the 20-year-old Australian.
© Getty ImagesHowever, the mom-of-two is still not out of contention yet, returning to the green on Thursday, July 2 for the Women's Doubles tournament, pairing up with her sister Venus Williams, who cheered her on from the stands for her singles comeback.
The sisters will face off against Solana Sierra and Camila Osorio. On Wednesday, Serena took to her Instagram page with a reflective post sharing some insight into her state of mind after her loss, plus a painful health update.
"It felt so good to be back on the grass at @wimbledon. I'm 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," she penned. Serena's daughters Olympia and Adira Ohanian were in the stands as well, joined by their dad Alexis Ohanian and grandmother Oracene Price.
"I tweaked my knee late in the first set, but I'll be doing everything I can to be ready for doubles with @venuswilliams," she continued. "Congratulations to @maya.joint on a great match, and thank you to everyone who showed up and showed me so much love. That feeling will never get old."
Would a tweaked knee affect Serena's Wimbledon prospects?
Likely not, although the turnaround between her two games is relatively tight. Per Cleveland Clinic, a tweaked knee, likely a sprain, is a pretty common injury that can be healed with ice packs to reduce the swelling, elevation of the injured knee, and above all, rest and no additional weight on the knee.
© InstagramFor athletes, injuries like sprains are even more common, especially given the sudden movements and sprints involved in tennis.
What do we know of Serena's injured knee?
While her exact fate in the upcoming doubles tournament with Venus is still up in the air, Serena's team caught on to the injury pretty quickly, as a result of which she bypassed all media obligations after the game as well.
© Getty Images"Serena tweaked her right knee at the end of the first set and was therefore excused from her media obligations by the Wimbledon and WTA medical teams," her agent Jill Smoller told press after the match.
"She left site that night unaided and is doing everything she can to be ready for her doubles match later this week." Speaking at a conference ahead of her comeback, Serena made it clear she is approaching this new chapter very differently from previous stages of her career.
© Getty Images"I don't need to win," she said. "I've won more than most people have in their whole lives, so for me it's not important to me, and it's important that I keep reminding myself of that, because I don't have anything to prove, I don't have anything to lose."
