Serena Williams Will Not Play Wimbledon Doubles with Sister Venus as Injured Knee 'Just Isn’t Ready to Compete': 'I’m Heartbroken'

NEED TO KNOW

• Serena Williams will not take part in her Wimbledon match with sister Venus Williams
• She was scheduled to reunite with Venus at Wimbledon on Saturday, July 4, for a doubles match against unseeded South American pair Camila Osorio and Solana Sierra
• Serena announced through an Instagram post that she is sitting out of the match due to her ongoing right knee injury

Serena Williams is officially sitting out of a Wimbledon match with sister Venus Williams.

The athlete, 44, was scheduled to reunite with Venus, 46, at Wimbledon on Saturday, July 4, for a doubles match against unseeded South American pair Camila Osorio and Solana Sierra after the event was previously delayed.

However, Serena announced through an Instagram post on July 4 that she is sitting out of the match due to her ongoing right knee injury.

“I’m heartbroken to have to withdraw from doubles,” Serena wrote in the caption of her post. “Coming back to compete again has been a gift, and the opportunity to play alongside Venus 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.”

“I’m especially grateful to tournament director, Jamie Baker, and the entire tournament team for giving me every opportunity to play here,” she continued. “Thank you to the fans for your incredible support and for making this comeback so meaningful…All I can say is stay tuned to a city near you.”

View this post on Instagram

In her post, Serena included a video of herself struggling to walk, as well as photos of syringes and images that offered a look at different treatments she was undergoing for her leg.

“The photo of the syringes shows the fluid they drained from my knee after my singles match…yikes,” she added in her caption.

“The good news is my knee shouldn’t swell or collect that much fluid again. The bad news is that, as hard as I tried, I just wasn’t able to get it ready for doubles,” Serena concluded.

Serena tweaked her knee on Tuesday, June 30, during a first-round singles loss to world No. 53 Maya Joint.

She and Venus were originally scheduled to compete against Sierra and Osorio on Thursday, July 2, but the match did not appear on the schedule.

The tournament typically announces the next day’s schedule, called “a full Order of Play,” the night before the next day’s play.

Serena and Venus received a wildcard entry into this year’s Wimbledon Championships.

They have won the Wimbledon doubles title together six times, and Serena is also a seven-time singles champion. Venus achieved the accolade on five occasions.

After Serena tweaked her knee, the tennis star told fans she’s working hard to be ready to compete with her sister.

“I tweaked my knee late in the first set, but I’ll be doing everything I can to be ready for doubles with @venuswilliams,” Serena wrote on Instagram.

Follow your favorite athletes on and off the field with PEOPLE’s free sports newsletter — sign up now!

The 2026 Wimbledon Championships run from June 29 to July 12 in London. The women’s doubles will feature 128 players.

Serena made her comeback last month at the Queen’s Club in London, almost four years after her last professional match at the 2022 US Open.

However, the tournament ended in disappointment after she and her doubles partner, Canadian Victoria Mboko, were forced to withdraw after Mboko suffered an injury.

Read the original article on People