Serena Williams' participation in the women's doubles at Wimbledon is in doubt as she battles to overcome a knee injury sustained during her first singles match in nearly four years.
The 44-year-old played her first singles match in 1,396 days on Tuesday night on Centre Court, where she was defeated by Maya Joint. Williams took Joint, who is 24 years her junior, to a deciding set but ultimately fell short of completing what would have been an extraordinary comeback.
Following the match, it was announced that Williams was unable to conduct any of her post-match media duties. Players are mandated to speak to the press after matches, with the Grand Slam rulebook stating that this obligation is mandatory unless they are 'unable to appear on reasonable grounds (for instance illness or injury)'. That was the case for Williams, and she was not fined for failing to attend her press conference.
Knee Injury and Treatment
Williams suffered a knee issue during her match with Joint, which lasted almost two and a half hours. According to The Times, the American required lengthy treatment in the locker room on Tuesday night due to swelling on her right knee.
A statement from Williams' team said: “Serena tweaked her knee at the end of the first set and was therefore excused from her media obligations by the Wimbledon and WTA medical teams. She left site that night unaided and is doing everything she can to be ready for her doubles match later this week.”
Doubles Draw with Venus Williams
Williams was awarded a wildcard into the doubles draw alongside her sister Venus. The pair have won six doubles titles at Wimbledon together, with their most recent victory coming a decade ago. They are scheduled to face Solana Sierra and Camila Osorio in their opening round on Thursday or Friday.
Williams now faces a race against time to recover and ensure she has at least one more match at Wimbledon this year. She is not due to practice on site on Wednesday afternoon.
