Serena Williams<\/strong><\/a> will no longer compete in this year\u2019s Wimbledon doubles draw alongside her sister, Venus Williams<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m heartbroken to have to withdraw from doubles,\u201d Serena, 44, announced via Instagram on Saturday, July 4, alongside a video showing the athlete walking tenderly on her nearly fully-bandaged right leg. \u201cComing 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\u2019t ready to compete.\u201d<\/p>\n The tennis star continued, \u201cI\u2019m especially grateful to tournament director, Jamie Baker<\/strong>, 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\u2026All I can say is stay tuned to a city near you\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n Serena returned to tennis<\/a> back in June, coming out or retirement to team up with Victoria Mboko<\/strong> in a doubles match against Erin Routliffe<\/strong> and Nicole Melichar-Martinez<\/strong>. (Mboko, 19, suffered an injury that forced the pair to withdraw.)<\/p>\n \u201cQueen\u2019s Club feels like the perfect place to begin this next chapter,\u201d Williams said in a statement to The Athletic<\/em> on June 1. \u201cGrass has given me some of the most meaningful moments in my career, and I\u2019m excited to be back competing on one of the sport\u2019s most iconic stages.\u201d<\/p>\n In her highly anticipated lead-up to Wimbledon, Serena also competed at the Berlin Open alongside Karolina Muchova<\/strong>. (The pair ultimately lost to Guiliana Olmos<\/strong> and Erin Routliff<\/strong>e 6-4, 6-4.)<\/p>\n Serena then made her Wimbledon return in her first singles match in nearly four years against Maya Joint, at which point she tweaked her knee late in the first set of the much-awaited match. (Joint ultimately won the match 6-3, 6-7, 6-3.)<\/p>\n You have successfully subscribed.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n \u201cIt fels so good to be back on the grass at @wimbledon,\u201d she wrote via Instagram following her first-round loss<\/a>. \u201cI\u2019m incredibly thankful for the wild card \u2014 and even more grateful my daughters got to see that it\u2019s never too late to chase something you love.\u201d<\/p>\n\n<\/blockquote>\n
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