Serena Williams withdrew from her doubles match with sister Venus at Wimbledon on Saturday due to a right knee injury sustained during her singles return earlier in the week. The 44-year-old lost 6-3, 6-7 (6), 6-3 to 20-year-old Maya Joint of Australia on Tuesday. In an Instagram post, Serena said she was "heartbroken to have to withdraw from doubles" and that playing alongside Venus "meant the world to me." She added: "I did everything I could but unfortunately my knee just isn't ready to compete."
The post included images of four syringes showing fluid drained from her knee after the singles match, along with a video of her walking with strapping on her right leg and what appeared to be one of her daughters holding a cane for her. The Williams sisters were scheduled to face Camila Osorio and Solana Sierra in a first-round match that had been pushed back to give Serena more recovery time. The 46-year-old Venus played in mixed doubles on Friday with Kevin Krawietz, losing to Tereza Mihalikova and Lloyd Glasspool. With the U.S. Open approaching, Serena indicated she could compete again soon, saying "stay tuned to a city near you." The Williams sisters are six-time Wimbledon women's doubles champions as partners.