Serena Williams injured her right knee toward the end of her first set against Australia's Maya Joint on Centre Court. Cameron Spencer / Getty ImagesJuly 1, 2026 Updated 9:37 am EDTTHE ALL ENGLAND CLUB, London — Serena Williams injured her right knee during her Wimbledon singles comeback, putting her doubles reunion with sister Venus in doubt.Williams, 44, skipped her media obligations after a 6-3, 6-7(6), 6-3 defeat to 20-year-old Maya Joint on Centre Court. The 23-time Grand Slam champion “tweaked” the joint toward the end of the first set, her agent, Jill Smoller said, as first reported by The Times of London.“Serena tweaked her right knee at the end of the first set and was therefore excused from her media obligations by the Wimbledon and WTA medical teams,” she said.
“She left site that night unaided and is doing everything she can to be ready for her doubles match later this week.”Why Serena Williams chose Wimbledon to return to playing singlesAva WallaceThough Williams didn’t appear to be physically encumbered during the match, the threat of injury for any player returning to the singles court after four years away from tennis is higher than usual — especially on grass, the slipperiest of all surfaces, and especially early in the tournament before the courts haven’t been worn down yet.Wimbledon’s manicured lawns trip up even the most in-form players. World No. 1 Jannik Sinner took a couple of awkward falls in his first-round match Monday, and French Open finalist Maja Chwalińska was one of two players who injured their ankles Monday after nasty falls. Chwalińska held match point when she fell, and her movement was so hampered after that she lost the match.Williams’ footwork understandably looked more cautious than usual from the start of her match on Tuesday. She wasn’t running at speed laterally and smaller, more hesitant stutter steps more often, as if searching for purchase on the grass.Serena and Venus are scheduled to play doubles on Thursday against Solana Sierra of Argentina and Camila Osorio of Colombia.Jul 1, 2026Connections: Sports EditionSpot the pattern. Connect the termsFind the hidden link between sports terms
