Serena Williams has withdrawn from this year’s Wimbledon. An injury to her hamstring resulting from a slip during her first set caused the professional tennis champ to cut her match against Aliaksandra Sasnovich short on Tuesday, just 34 minutes in. Video posted on the official Wimbledon Twitter account shows Williams in tears as she struggled to her feet and limped to the net to shake Sasnovich’s hand and retire.
We're heartbroken for you, Serena.
Our seven-time singles champion is forced to retire from The Championships 2021 through injury#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/vpcW1UN78s
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) June 29, 2021
“I was heartbroken to have to withdraw today after injuring my right leg,” Williams, who has 23 Grand Slam singles titles to her name, wrote in an Instagram post. “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.”
This was the second withdrawal of the day, after Adrian Mannarino also slipped on Tuesday, injuring his knee during his match against Roger Federer. “This is obviously terrible, that it’s back-to-back matches and it hits Serena as well,” Federer said during a press conference.
The back-to-back injuries have people wondering about the conditions on Wimbledon’s famed Centre Court. As the New York Times reported, both Sasnovich and Andy Murray have since called out the traditional grass court for being extremely slippery. Wimbledon is, notably, the only Grand Slam event still held on grass courts.
Meanwhile, All England Club, which hosts the Championships, defended court conditions in a statement. “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 read. The club also pointed to heavy rains that increased moisture on the grass despite the Centre Court’s retractable roof being closed.
