LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM – JUNE 30: Serena Williams of the United States in action against Maya Joint of Australia in the Women’s singles first round match during day two of The Wimbledon Tennis Championships 2026 at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on June 30, 2026 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Ray Tang/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Anadolu via Getty Images
Serena Williams’ Wimbledon run has ended before she could compete in the women’s doubles alongside her sister Venus.
The 23‑time Grand Slam singles champion revealed on social media that she is withdrawing from the doubles event because of a swollen knee. Williams, a 44‑year‑old mother of two, had already been eliminated from the singles competition in the first round by Maya Joint after a near‑four‑year absence from professional tennis.
“I’m heartbroken to have to withdraw from doubles,” she posted. “Coming back to compete again has been a gift, and the opportunity to play alongside Venus 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.”
She added, “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…”
Williams also shared pictures of fluid that had been drained from her injured knee.
“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.”
Venus and Serena were scheduled to face Solana Sierra and Camila Osorio on Saturday morning ET. Officials had granted Serena extra rest time after her singles loss, originally setting the doubles match for Thursday or Friday before it was postponed.
“Serena is a little banged up in the knee, had a little bit of a problem in her match, which is normal when you haven’t played for almost four years,” former world No. 1 Andy Roddick commented on ESPN. “The tournament, I think, gave them a little bit of relief here, trying to get that extra day for Serena to be able to play.”
Williams made her competitive return four years after her last tournament appearance at the 2022 U.S. Open, where she announced she was “evolving” away from tennis to focus on raising her daughters, Olympia and Adira. She then lost her opening singles match in three sets to Joint, skipping the post‑match media availability—an omission that would normally incur a $50,000 fine but was waived.
Meanwhile, Venus, who has continued to compete sporadically, is 46 years old. Together the sisters have captured 14 Grand Slam doubles titles, including six at Wimbledon—their first coming in 2000 and the most recent in 2016. Their initial Wimbledon doubles victories in 2000 and 2002 were awarded as wildcards.
