Serena Williams Wimbledon 2026 withdrawal ended the sisters’ doubles reunion before it began, as a knee injury forced her out of the Wimbledon first round. Williams had been due to play with Venus Williams against Camila Osorio and Solana Sierra on Saturday afternoon.
She twisted her knee in the first set of her opening-round singles match against Maya Joint, then lost 6-3, 6-7, 6-3. Afterward, Williams said her knee was not ready to compete and described the withdrawal as heartbreaking.
Williams sisters miss their return
The withdrawal removed the chance for Serena Williams and Venus Williams to play together at Wimbledon for the first time since they won the title in 2016. It also meant the pair did not get to extend a doubles record that already includes six Wimbledon titles and 14 grand slam titles overall.
Williams said on social media that “Coming back to compete again has been a gift, and the opportunity to play alongside @venuswilliams once more meant the world to me.” She also said, “I did everything I could but unfortunately my knee just isn’t ready to compete.”
Knee treatment after singles loss
Williams added that the syringes in her post showed fluid drained from her knee after the singles match. She said, “The good news is that my knee shouldn’t swell or collect that much fluid again. The bad news is that, as hard as I tried, I wasn’t able to be ready for doubles.”
She had been in a race to be fit for the doubles match, but she did not train on-site in the five days after the singles loss. That left the scheduled Saturday afternoon pairing against Camila Osorio and Solana Sierra without the Williams sisters, and Britain’s Samantha Murray Sharan and Lanlana Tararudee replaced them in the draw.
Jamie Baker and the draw change
Williams also said she was grateful to tournament director Jamie Baker and the tournament team for giving her every chance to recover. Wimbledon had left its final singles wildcard available for her, and she returned four years after her official retirement at the 2022 US Open.
For Williams, the withdrawal cuts off the immediate doubles plan after a hard singles return and leaves her comeback narrowed to what her knee will allow next. She ended her message with a short note that kept the door open, saying, “All I can say is stay tuned to a city near you …”
