Wimbledon
Shoddy Serena “comeback’ fizzles with doubles pullout
The much-hyped Wimbledon comeback of 44-year-old Serena Williams sputtered to an ignominious halt on Saturday with an injury pullout hours before a doubles match alongside elder sister Venus.
The pair had been given a conciliatory late start with a one-day delay before their first-round match against Maria Osoaio of Colombia and Argentine Solana Sierra.
But Williams pulled the plug on any participation in mid-afternoon, citing the knee injury she claimed after her singles loss to the 20-year-old Joint four days earlier.
Williams went on social media to break the news, publishing pictures of her knee to help make the pullout case.
“I’m heartbroken to have to withdraw from doubles. Coming back to compete again has been a gift, and the opportunity to play alongside Venus once more meant the world to me. I did everything I could to be ready, but unfortunately my knee just isn’t ready to compete.
“I’m especially grateful to tournament director, Jamie Baker, and the entire tournament team for giving me every opportunity to play here. Thank you to the fans for your incredible support and for making this comeback so meaningful…All I can say is stay tuned to a city near you…”
Williams then bolstered her medical excuse with explicit photos:
“The photo of the syringes shows the fluid they drained from my knee after my singles match…yikes! The good news is my knee shouldn’t swell or collect that much fluid again.
“The bad news is that, as hard as I tried, I just wasn’t able to get it ready for doubles.”
The Williams paring had been touted all during the Wimbledon first week, with bosses giving the sister act every benefit of the doubt. Their doubles match did not even have a time as officials waited for a showcase court to clear out in early evening as play ended.
Williams, who received both singles and doubles wildcard in a grand gesture by the All England Club likely has officials feeling taken in by what could be described as a tennis pump-and-dump maneuver.
Williams lasted for one singles match this week, losing to Australian Maya Joint, with the American claiming her knee injury prevented her presence, thereby escaping a USD 50,000 sanction for missing a mandatory post-match media conference.
Alexander Zverev will claim world year-end No. 1 honours for the first time on the back of two Grand Slam titles and a final this season.,
The ATP confirmed the changing of the guard as current No. 1 Jannik Sinner ended his season early last week due to a knee injury which has kept him off court since winning Wimbledon three months ago.
Zverev won Roland Garros and US Open trophies and lost to Sinner in the All England Club final.
His reign at the top will begin after the ATP Final in Turin with the ranking period starting on November 23.
Zverev will be 29 years, 217 days old on the date, three days older than Andre Agassi in 1999 (29 years, 214 days).
Main photo:- Alexander Zverev by ISF Ltd
Jannik Sinner on Tuesday officials called a halt to his 2026 season, with the world No. 1 set to take a few months to heal the knee injury which has kept him off the court since winning Wimbledon.
The 42-second video clip from the Italian revealed nothing new about the injury, but did confirm that Sinner will be absent for the rest of the current campaign.
“Me, together with the doctors, have decided that I need a course of treatment for my knee, which means that the 2026 season is officially over.
“I also need to think about my long-term career so I will do everything possible to get back 100 percent.”
The 25-year-old’s top ATP ranking is now in serious danger from challenges from Alexander Zverev and Carlos Alcaraz.
The brief release added; “The decision has been made to have the treatment now to give Jannik the necessary time to recover before beginning preparations for 2027.”
Main photo:- Jannik Sinner hasn’t played since winning Wimbledon 2026 title – by Roger Parker ISF Ltd
Jannik Sinner’s knee injury drama took a dramatic turn on Saturday as the world No. 1 withdrew from the October 10 start of the Shanghai Masters with an apology to fans.
The Italian has not competed since winning Wimbledon over Alexander Zverev in July.
Sinner gave no indication as to when he might return amid some Italian reports that his season might be over due to the injury and even suggested that surgery might be required – which would affect his Australian Open participation in January..
“Unfortunately, I won’t be able to play at the Rolex Shanghai Masters this year as I had hoped,” the 25-year-old posted on social media.
“I always enjoy playing in front of the Shanghai fans and I’m very sorry that I won’t be able to do so next week. Thank you for all your support. I’m looking forward to seeing you again next year.”
Main photo:- Sinner has not competed since winning Wimbledon in July – by Roger Parker ISF Ltd
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