Serena Williams just revealed heartbreaking news as she was set to take center court. The 44-year-old tennis star officially withdrew from the Wimbledon doubles tournament on Saturday, July 4.
She and her sister Venus Williams were set to face off against Solana Sierra and Camila Osorio. But, Serena shared the news in a lengthy Instagram caption accompanying a video of her limping, a photo of four syringes, and her wrapped knee.
"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."
© InstagramThe Grand Slam winner continued: "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…"
"The photo of the syringes shows the fluid they drained from my knee after my singles match…yikes!" Serena went on. "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."
© InstagramBoth her fans and her competitors shared their well wishes on the social media post. Fellow USA tennis champ Coco Gauff wrote: "get well soon," with three red heart emojis. Lindsey Vonn added: "That's a solid fluid count."
"Rest up and speedy recovery!!! We love you," one fan wrote. Another person added: "We Will be waiting with bells on."
Serena Williams' Wimbledon comeback
The tennis legend 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 ImagesAfter she lost the match, Serena took to her Instagram page with a reflective post sharing some insight into her state of mind after her loss.
"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.
© InstagramDuring the match, she tweaked her knee. And while Serena was hopeful that she would be able to recover, there wasn't enough time to rehabilitate the injury.
"I don't need to win," she said of her Wimbledon comeback. "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."
