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By Megan Armstrong
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Serena Williams made her unexpected yet welcomed return to singles at Wimbledon, losing to Maya Joint in the opening round and injuring her knee in the process. The 23-time Grand Slam singles champion tried to still play doubles with Venus Williams, her older sister, but she eventually had to withdraw.
"I’m heartbroken to have to withdraw from doubles," Williams, 44, posted on Instagram on July 4. "Coming 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’t ready to compete."
Williams posted photos of syringes filled with fluid drained from her knee, leaving zero question as to just how impossible it was for her to push on to compete with Venus in doubles.
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Two weeks later, Williams posted a TikTok showing her dancing and in much better spirits. "Looks like my knee is getting better. Finally!" she captioned the video.
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The widespread belief this summer has been that Williams' plan was to use the grass season to ramp up for the US Open. Williams last appeared at the 2022 US Open — in singles and with Venus in doubles — before "evolving away from tennis" for nearly four years.
Williams officially resumed her all-time great professional tennis career when she partnered with Victoria Mboko to compete in doubles at the HSBC Championships at London's Queen's Club in early June. The following week, Williams and Karolina Muchova competed in doubles at the Berlin Tennis Open.
The 2026 US Open draw won't be announced for weeks, so we don't know whether Williams will compete, but it seems as if her knee won't be the deciding factor.
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