Serena Williams withdraws from Wimbledon doubles competition after knee injury

BREAKING NEWSUpdated 5 minutes agoTennisTennisSerena Williams withdraws from Wimbledon doubles competition after knee injuryThe tennis champion was supposed to play in doubles competition with her sister, Venus Williams, as her partner.Listen to this article with a free profile00:0000:00Serena Williams at Wimbledon on June 30 in London.Tim Clayton / Getty ImagesShareAdd NBC News to GoogleJuly 4, 2026, 11:16 AM EDT / Updated July 4, 2026, 11:18 AM EDTBy Matt LavietesSerena Williams is withdrawing from Wimbledon doubles after injuring her knee at the tournament earlier this week.Limited time: Save 25% on NBC News subscriptionGet exclusive reporting, live Q&As and ad-free reading.The tennis star injured her knee on Wednesday, while playing in the singles competition. At the time, her agent said she intended to play doubles with her sister, Venus Williams, as her partner. Williams announced her withdrawal in an Instagram post, that included photos and videos of the injury.“I’m heartbroken to have to withdraw from doubles. Coming back to compete again has been a gift, and the opportunity to play alongside @venuswilliams once more meant the world to me,” she wrote. “I did everything I could to be ready, but unfortunately my knee just isn’t ready to compete.”The post included video of Williams appearing to limp down a hallway with her right knee in bandages and four yellow fluid-filled syringes the tennis champions said was drained from her knee.“The good news is my knee shouldn’t swell or collect that much fluid again,” she wrote. “The bad news is that, as hard as I tried, I just wasn’t able to get it ready for doubles.”Williams also thanked the tournament’s director for giving her the opportunity to play and her fans.“All I can say is stay tuned to a city near you,” she said.ShareAdd NBC News to GoogleMatt LavietesI’m a reporter on NBC News’ breaking news team, covering crime, extreme weather, pop culture and more. I recently covered Hurricane Milton, which devastate...