Serena Williams’ participation in the 2026 Wimbledon women’s doubles tournament is reportedly in doubt after she suffered a right knee injury during her first-round singles defeat to Maya Joint on Tuesday.
Key highlights
- Serena Williams is in doubt for Wimbledon doubles after sustaining a right knee injury in singles action.
- Crutches were reportedly brought to her locker room, though she later left the venue unaided.
- Her agent confirmed she tweaked her knee but is doing everything possible to be ready for doubles.
- Serena and Venus are scheduled to face Camila Osorio and Solana Sierra in the first round on Thursday.
Update from Serena’s camp
According to Tom Kershaw of The Times, crutches were brought to Williams’ locker room following the match. While she was able to leave unassisted, it remains unclear whether she will be fit to compete in doubles alongside her sister Venus Williams.
Serena’s agent Jill Smoller provided a statement confirming the injury.
“Serena tweaked her knee at the end of the first set and was therefore excused from her media obligations by the Wimbledon and WTA medical teams. She left site that night unaided and is doing everything she can to be ready for her doubles match,” Smoller said.
Doubles match still scheduled
Williams later posted on Instagram, also confirming she had “tweaked” her knee and was working to be fit in time for doubles. Despite the uncertainty, Serena and Venus Williams are currently scheduled to face Camila Osorio and Solana Sierra in the opening round of the women’s doubles event on Thursday.
Serena’s competitive return continues
Williams, 44, had ostensibly retired from professional tennis in 2022 but returned to competition nearly four years later. She recently played doubles at Queen’s Club in London alongside Victoria Mboko, before partnering Karolína Muchová at the Berlin Open the following week. She then entered both singles and doubles at Wimbledon after receiving a wild-card entry.
Singles match shows competitiveness despite loss
Widely regarded as one of the greatest players in tennis history, Serena is a 23-time Grand Slam singles champion and a 14-time Grand Slam doubles champion—all won alongside Venus.
In her first-round singles match against Maya Joint, Serena showed flashes of competitiveness despite not playing singles since 2022. She lost the first set 6-3, recovered to win a second-set tiebreak, but faded in the decider as Joint closed out a 6-3 third set victory.
Doubles still offers strong opportunity
Doubles could offer Serena a better chance of success given the reduced physical demand, with the court effectively covered by two players.
However, her injury now leaves her participation in doubt, putting one of the tournament’s most anticipated matchups in jeopardy—especially the potential reunion of Serena and Venus Williams on the Wimbledon stage.
