Tears were shed at the Wimbledon Championships on Tuesday as Serena Williams had to retire from the tournament in her first match. Let’s look at what happened.
While up 3–1 in the first set, Williams slipped while trying to plant her leg, and ended up injuring her right knee. She took a medical timeout after dropping the fifth game, in hopes that she could get some treatment before returning to the court. Sure enough, she did come back out to continue the match, but she wasn’t the same by any means.
As the match resumed it was evident that Williams was experiencing pain in her injured leg. During and between each point she kept biting her lip and covering her face in an attempt to hide her pain from the crowd as well as the refs. She wasn’t able to hold out, though. With the match tied 3–3 in the first set, Williams collapsed to the ground in pain, and had to call the match and leave the court.
This injury is especially devastating for Williams. As it stands, she is second to only Margaret Court in Grand Slam singles titles. Court holds 24, while Williams sits at 23. This tournament would have been her chance to tie the all-time record. It is made even more painful with the fact that Williams was gaining momentum when it came to major tournaments. She had already won at Wimbledon 7 times previously. Beyond that, she had been a finalist at her past 4 major tournaments. She would have been hungry for this victory. However, that just wasn’t able to happen.
After her exit, Williams did not speak to the media. However, she did give an update on her Instagram. She said, “I was heartbroken to have to withdraw today after injuring my right leg. 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.”
Williams wasn’t the only one to slip on that court either. On Monday, Novak Djokovic slipped several times, but he managed to make it through without sustaining any injuries. Then on Tuesday, a little while before Williams’ match, French player Adrian Mannarino also injured his knee after slipping and had to call it quits on the match. This is leaving some of the other players, including Roger Federer, a little worried about the conditions of the court moving forward.
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