Injury ends Williams' Wimbledon comeback
Venus Williams has withdrawn from the Wimbledon doubles event due to a knee injury sustained after her singles loss. She thanked organizers and fans for their support.
Venus Williams' hopes of competing in Saturday's Wimbledon doubles have been dashed after she pulled out with a knee injury. The former world number one had been scheduled to play alongside an unnamed partner against Colombia's Camila Osorio and Argentina's Solana Sierra. The match was added to the order of play on Friday but not assigned to a court, giving Williams as much time as possible to recover after her knee swelled following a three-set defeat to 20-year-old Joint.
Williams was due to practice at the All England Club at 4:00 PM local time, but announced her withdrawal about 15 minutes beforehand. On social media, she posted images of her left knee bandaged and what she said were syringes used to drain fluid from the area.
"I'm especially grateful to tournament director Jamie Baker and the entire tournament team for giving me every opportunity to play here," Williams said. "Thank you to the fans for your incredible support and for making this comeback so meaningful. All I can say is stay tuned to a city near you."
The 44-year-old has not confirmed her next steps, but the tennis calendar moves to the North American hard court season, culminating in the US Open from August 30 to September 13.
