Serena Williams, in pain and in tears, exits Wimbledon with a leg injury
By Christopher Clarey
WIMBLEDON — Serena Williams’ 20th Wimbledon ended shortly after it began. She retired 34 minutes into the first set of her first-round match against Aliaksandra Sasnovich on Tuesday (29) night because of a right hamstring injury.
“I was heartbroken to have to withdraw today after injuring my right leg,” Williams wrote in a post on Instagram, adding: “Feeling the extraordinary warmth and support of the crowd today when I walked on — and off — the court meant the world to me.”
It was poignant to see Williams, one of the great champions in any sport, in pain and in tears on the famous patch of grass where she has often triumphed through the years. She has won seven Wimbledon singles titles, six women’s doubles titles and one mixed doubles title on Centre Court.
Williams began in impressive fashion Tuesday, ripping second-serve returns with ruthless precision to take a 3-1 lead under the closed roof on Centre Court.
But while serving in the next game at 15-15, Williams slipped as she changed direction. After losing the point, she stopped for several seconds, staring down at the grass. She went on to lose her serve and then walked gingerly to her chair, where she was examined by a trainer. Williams left the court for treatment and returned several minutes later, limping slightly. She resumed play, but struggled to move as Sasnovich held serve to make the score 3-3. Williams, in obvious distress, began crying at the baseline as she prepared to start her next service game.
Unable to push off, she missed her first serve, then put a low-velocity second serve in play and slapped a backhand winner as the crowd roared to encourage her. But on the following point, Williams hit a forehand awkwardly into the net. The next point turned out to be the final one. She tried to shift direction during a baseline rally and cried out in pain as she fell forward onto the grass.
Williams, 39, has been chasing a record-tying 24th Grand Slam singles title since returning to the tour in 2018 after the birth of her daughter, Olympia. Seeded sixth at Wimbledon, she was still considered a favorite for the title by many bookmakers, along with the world No. 1, Ashleigh Barty.
-New York Times