Serena Williams knee injury puts Wimbledon doubles with Venus in doubt

Serena Williams’ plan to return to Wimbledon doubles with Venus was jolted when a knee injury left her status for later this week uncertain after a three-set loss on Centre Court. Williams, 44, fell 6-3, 6-7, 6-3 to 20-year-old Australian Maya Joint in nearly two and a half hours, then was left trying to recover in time for a sisters’ reunion that carries unusual weight at the All England Club.

Her agent, Jill Smoller, said Williams tweaked her knee at the end of the first set. Wimbledon and WTA medical teams excused Williams from media duties because injury is a permitted exception under the Grand Slam rulebook, which otherwise allows fines of up to $50,000 for refusing press obligations. Williams left the All England Club unaided after receiving lengthy treatment from a physio, and one report said crutches were brought to her locker room.

The injury matters because the doubles return was set to be only the latest chapter in one of tennis’s defining partnerships. Serena and Venus Williams have won 14 Grand Slam doubles titles together, including six at Wimbledon, with the last of those championships coming in 2016. The sisters received a Wimbledon women’s doubles wild card on June 16, 2026, their first Wimbledon doubles entry in four years, and Serena had not played the tournament since 2022, when she lost in the first round to Harmony Tan.

Williams’ comeback has already been interrupted by injury concerns. At Queen’s Club, she partnered Victoria Mboko, who later withdrew from Wimbledon after sustaining an MCL injury to her left knee. Williams also played doubles in Berlin with Karolina Muchova before arriving in London, making the Wimbledon draw the centerpiece of a short grass-court return that had been building toward the sisters’ appearance together.

The prospect of Serena and Venus sharing a court again at Wimbledon has long carried significance beyond a single match. Serena has won seven of her 23 Grand Slam singles titles at Wimbledon, and the sisters have built much of their doubles legacy there. If Williams cannot recover in time, Wimbledon loses a rare reunion of two players whose star power has helped define the tournament for more than two decades.