Wimbledon 2026: Serena Williams injures knee and a doubt to play doubles with sister Venus

Williams later wrote on Instagram: “It felt so good to be back. I’m incredibly thankful for the wildcard – and even more grateful my daughters got to see that it’s never too late to chase something you love.

“I tweaked my knee late in the first set, but I’ll be doing everything I can to be ready for doubles.

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

Missing the doubles would be a hugely disappointing end to Williams’ highly anticipated return to the All England Club.

The American superstar has been the centre of the attention in SW19 over the past few days, with a high level of intrigue about why she was coming back and how she would look on court.

Williams played what she thought would be the final match of her career at the 2022 US Open, but tellingly refused to use the word ‘retirement’ and instead said she was “evolving away” from tennis.

After 1,462 days away from Wimbledon, she stepped back on to Centre Court on Tuesday.

At the place where she won her seven singles and six women’s doubles titles, Williams showed signs of her incomparable talent and could have earned a sensational win against 20-year-old Joint.

Joint held firm, though, to claim a 6-3 6-7 (6-8) 6-3 win.