Serena Williams is one of the most decorated tennis players in the world, having won a
whopping 23 Grand Slam singles titles throughout her long-running career. Although Williams
hasn't won a Grand Slam title since she defeated her sister, Venus Williams, in the Australian
Open in 2017, fans of the tennis phenom were excited to watch her continue her crusade
to winning her 24th Grand Slam title at Wimbledon this year. If she had won, she would tie tennis
legend Margaret Court's record-breaking 24 titles.
In a pre-Wimbledon press conference, Williams revealed that while she was excited to compete
in this year's big tournament, she'd be sitting out from the 2021 Olympics, which take place
in Tokyo, Japan starting July 23.
"There's a lot of reasons that I made my Olympic decision. I don't really want to — I don't
feel like going into them today."
When asked what it'd be like to sit out from the games this year, she responded,
"I really haven't thought about it, so I'm going to keep not thinking about it."
Unfortunately, Williams will now be sitting out of Wimbledon as well, as she retired from
her first-round match against Aliaksandra Sasnovich just 34 minutes into her first set
on June 29.
In a heartbreaking Instagram post on that same day, Serena Williams revealed the real
reason why she retired from the court, writing,
"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."
In Williams' match, you can see that the legendary tennis player falls to the ground while volleying
against Sasnovich. Williams had slipped on the grass court earlier due to the rainy weather
conditions, and she wasn't the only athlete to slip and injure themselves during their
match. Wimbledon chief executive Richard Lewis said,
"There has been a high number of withdrawals at the Championships today and we sympathize
with all the players affected. The withdrawals have occurred for a variety of reasons, but
there have been some suggestion that the court surface is to blame. We have no reason to
think this is the case."
Fans from all over took to social media to show their support for Serena Williams after
her first-round withdrawal. One Twitter user wrote,
"There is no athlete I root harder for than Serena Williams. NO ONE. So this was shocking
and heartbreaking to watch. She's OUT of #Wimbledon in the first round. Just happened. Tried to
fight through an injury, in tears, but couldn't continue."
Another replied,
"I think the dangerous conditions that they are playing under (wet grass) is more of a
reason to consider forming a player's association. This was avoidable."
Tennis star Naomi Osaka, who withdrew from the French Open earlier in June after citing
mental health reasons, left a string of heart emojis on Williams' Instagram post about retiring
from this year's Wimbledon. Williams famously defended 23-year-old Osaka after she received
backlash for withdrawing from the event, telling reporters at a press conference,
"The only thing I feel is that I feel for Naomi. I feel like I wish I could give her
a hug because I know what it's like. Like I said, I've been in those positions."
According to CNN, more questions are being raised about the suitability of the grass
at Wimbledon after multiple mid-play injuries. In fact, after Williams left the court, two-time
Wimbledon champ Andy Murray notably tweeted,
"Brutal for @serenawilliams but centre court is extremely slippy [...] Not easy to move
out there."
He played on the main court earlier in the week. Likewise, Roger Federer told reporters
during a press conference,
"It feels a tad more slippery maybe under the roof, I don't know if it's a gut feel."
However, Federer also admitted it didn't feel too different to him personally, but acknowledged
that he was proceeding with caution regardless. The All England Lawn Tennis Club released
a statement in response to the many injury reports, noting simply,
"The preparation of the grass courts has been to exactly the same meticulous standard as
in previous years."
They also said that each court is checked extensively before matches commence, but blamed
very wet weather for any, quote, "additional moisture" on the grass.
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