Serena Williams Says She Suffered Knee Injury During Wimbledon Return

Serena Williams Officially Returning 4 Years After “Evolving Away From Tennis”

Serena Williams is recovering after an unforeseen injury.

The tennis pro revealed she suffered a knee injury during her June 30 match against Maya Joint at the first round of the Wimbledon Championships.

“I tweaked my knee late in the first set,” Williams wrote on Instagram July 1, “but I’ll be doing everything I can to be ready for doubles with @venuswilliams.”

The 44-year-old was defeated by Joint, a 20-year-old tennis player representing Australia, during her first competitive singles match since the 2022 US Open.

Though it didn’t end how she’d hoped, Williams—mom to daughters Alexis Jr., 8, and Adira, 2, with husband Alexis Ohanian—couldn’t have been happier to have her family by her side as she returned to the court.

“It felt so good to be back on the grass at @wimbledon,” she wrote. “I’m incredibly thankful for the wild card—and even more grateful my daughters got to see that it’s never too late to chase something you love.”

Williams—who is set to play her first doubles match with sister Venus Williams for the first time in 10 years at the tournament—also took a moment to give her opponent her flowers

“Congratulations to @maya.joint on a great match,” she continued, “and thank you to everyone who showed up and showed me so much love. That feeling will never get old.”

Williams’ return to tennis comes after she admitted something “had to give” while balancing her athletic career with growing her family. However, she pushed back against the retirement narrative, even while confirming she was stepping back in August 2022.

Photo by Andrew Matthews/PA Images via Getty Images

“I have never liked the word retirement,” she told Vogue at the time. “It doesn’t feel like a modern word to me. I’ve been thinking of this as a transition, but I want to be sensitive about how I use that word, which means something very specific and important to a community of people. Maybe the best word to describe what I’m up to is evolution.”

But as she steps into a new chapter of her career, she’s committed to finding a middle ground between her personal and professional life.

“I've been playing tennis for literally, literally my entire life,” she told E! News in 2023. “My entire being and knowing is just what I've done. So now, I'm inch by inch finding my way.”

“Obviously, I love other businesses that I've done,” she added. “But just inch by inch leaning into that and leaning into my family and leaning into just having fun. I think it's so important to do all those and still create that balance.”

For more stars who have detailed their accidental injuries, read on…

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