Serena Williams’ return to Wimbledon may be even shorter than expected. Williams suffered a knee injury in her first-round singles loss to Maya Joint, which could have put her doubles status in jeopardy.
According to BBC.com, Williams’ agent Jill Smoller confirmed Williams’ injury on Wednesday, but did not rule out the possibility of the 44-year-old playing in doubles.
“Serena tweaked her right knee at the end of the first set and was excused from media duties by the Wimbledon and WTA medical teams,” Williams’ agent Jill Smoller said in a statement.
“She left the scene that night without any assistance and is doing her best to prepare for her doubles match later this week.”
According to the BCC, Williams’ knee was so swollen that staff gave him crutches after the game. She declined the offer.
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Williams will be competing in the doubles match at Wimbledon with her sister Venus. Their first game is scheduled for Thursday, July 2nd.
If Serena is able to compete, it will be the first time she and Venus have been on court together at Wimbledon since 2016. That year, the two won the doubles title.
On Tuesday, Serena played in her first Grand Slam in four years. Serena, who left the game after competing at the 2022 US Open, shocked tennis fans when she announced her return in June.
Serena competed in both the HSBC Championship and the Berlin Open, appearing in doubles matches at both tournaments, before returning to singles at Wimbledon. Her return to singles did not last long. Williams took a set from Joint, but the 20-year-old clawed his way to victory in three sets.
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After the loss, Williams did not participate in media duties due to injury. She was not on Wednesday’s practice schedule, according to ESPN. The 46-year-old Venus is scheduled to practice, perhaps holding out a glimmer of hope that Serena may be able to recover in time for Thursday’s game.
