tennis

Serena Williams withdraws from Wimbledon due to injury

Updated Jun. 29, 2021 8:39 p.m. ET

Serena Williams was forced to withdraw Tuesday from her first-round match at Wimbledon due to a leg injury.

Williams, who has won the Wimbledon singles title seven times, was leading opponent Aliaksandra Sasnovich of Belarus 3-1 in the first set when things took a turn for the worse, as she slipped and grimaced in pain. Williams took an injury timeout to receive treatment, but when she returned to the court, her movement was limited.

Williams ultimately decided that she could not continue, walked to the net in tears, shook hands with Sasnovich and conceded the match, waving to the crowd as she departed. The match ended 3-3 in the first set after 34 minutes.

"I was heartbroken to have to withdraw today after injuring my right leg," Williams wrote on Instagram. "My love and gratitude are with the fans and the team who make being on centre court so meaningful. Feeling the extraordinary warmth and support of the crowd today when I walked on – and off – the court meant the world to me."

"Of course I’m so sad for Serena. She’s a great champion," Sasnovich said. "It happens sometimes in tennis, but all the best for her and her recovery."

The incident caused some to question the quality of the grass playing surface, as Williams' withdrawal came less than an hour after France’s Adrian Mannarino was injured when he slipped in his match against Roger Federer.

"I do feel it feels a tad more slippery maybe under the roof," Federer said after his match. "I don't know if it's just a gut feeling. You do have to move very, very carefully out there. If you push too hard in the wrong moments, you do go down. ...

"This is obviously terrible that it's back-to-back matches and it hits Serena as well. Oh, my God, I can't believe it."

Of course, if anyone is familiar with the Wimbledon surface, it would be Williams, who has won 98 matches at the event, second only to Martina Navratilova’s 120.

Williams, who holds 23 Grand Slam titles (seven each at the Australian Open and Wimbledon, six at the US Open and three at the French Open), was hoping to make another run at Margaret Court’s record of 24.

That chase is now delayed again and could be in jeopardy, as the 39-year-old has not won a major since the 2017 Australian Open.

After Williams' injury, reactions of sympathy and shock flooded in from across the sports world.

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Aliaksandra Sasnovich