Serena Williams Is ‘Heartbroken’ After an Injury Forces Her Withdrawal From Wimbledon
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Serena Williams was forced to retire her first-round match at Wimbledon after slipping and injuring her leg.
The exit will likely keep her from earning her 24th major title this year, which would tie the record for most grand slams singles.
Williams wasn’t the only athlete to slip on damp grass while playing, which prompted concerns over court conditions.
A 24th major title will have to wait for Serena Williams, who was forced to forfeit her first-round match at Wimbledon Tuesday after injuring her right leg. At the time, she held a 3-1 lead against Aliaksandra Sasnovich.
According to Yahoo! Sports, the 39-year-old tennis champion slipped on wet grass, dampened by earlier rain, and exited the match to be treated by her trainer. She attempted to return to play, but was visibly in pain and eventually fell to the ground in defeat.
The athlete was forced to leave the court and gave the crowd an emotional wave goodbye. It was the first time she retired a match due to injury since playing Wimbledon in 1998, per ESPN.
Williams didn’t give a press conference after her exit, but did take to Instagram to share her disappointment. “I was heartbroken to have to withdraw today after injuring my right leg,” she wrote. “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.”
At first, the injury appeared to be in Williams’ right knee, but her coach Patrick Mouratoglou told ESPN that it’s “at the top of her hamstring, in the glute.” Its severity has yet to be determined.
The accident has prompted a bit of controversy around court conditions as Williams wasn’t the first to fall that day. Adrian Mannarino also slipped and injured his knee while playing against Roger Federer, having to retire the match, and on Monday, Novak Djokovic slipped and fell twice while playing but wasn’t injured.
In response, the All England Lawn Tennis Club released the following statement to CNN:
“The preparation of the grass courts has been to exactly the same meticulous standard as in previous years. Each grass court is checked by the Grand Slam Supervisors, Referee’s Office and Grounds team ahead of play commencing, and on both days of the Fortnight they have been happy with the conditions and cleared the courts for play.”
The statement continued: “The weather conditions on the opening two days have been the wettest we have experienced in almost a decade, which has required the roof to be closed on Centre Court and No.1 Court for long periods. This is at a time when the grass plant is at its most lush and green, which does result in additional moisture on what is a natural surface.”
Fellow tennis star Federer learned of Williams’ injury during his post-match press conference, per ESPN, and commented on the state of the courts. “I do feel it feels a tad more slippery maybe under the roof,” he said. “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.”
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