Serena Williams Retires in Wimbledon First Round After Injury

Wimbledon has already seen figures like Japanese star Naomi Osaka and Spanish icon Rafael Nadal withdraw from the tennis tournament, with the former citing mental health issues and the latter referring to a desire to "prolong his career".
Sputnik

American tennis legend Serena Williams withdrew from Wimbledon after suffering an injury in the first set, against Belarus' Aliaksandra Sasnovich on Tuesday.

Williams had to retire after a 3-3 score in the first set.

Wimbledon shared a video of the tennis icon getting up from the ground and cautiously walking away from the tennis court as she tried to hold back tears. Williams is then seen raising her racket and saluting the viewers.

"We're heartbroken for you, Serena", according to a Wimbledon tweet. "Our seven-time singles champion is forced to retire from The Championships 2021 through injury."

Williams, a 23-time major tennis champion, previously left the court to address an ankle issue during the fifth game.

The Wimbledon tennis championship takes place in London from 28 June to 11 July. Earlier, several tennis stars like Japan's Naomi Osaka and Spain's Rafael Nadal withdrew from the competition.

Discuss