Injury stops tearful Serena at Wimbledon

SERENA Williams’ quest for history ended in tears on Tuesday night as she was forced to quit early in her first-round match at Wimbledon against Aliaksandra Sasnovich of Belarus because of a leg injury.

The 39-year-old American, who wore strapping on her right thigh from the start of the match, led 3-1 but slipped twice and it was immediately obvious she was in serious pain.

Williams, who was trying to equal Margaret Court’s all-time record of 24 grand slam titles, had the trainer out and tried to play on.

With the score at 3-3, she called it a day. “I’m so sad for Serena,” Sasnovich said. “She’s a great champion, This happens sometimes in tennis.”

The sight of Williams in pain and in tears was hard to watch.

The American had worked so hard to get back on court, having not played for three months after the Australian Open.

She returned on clay and played three events, including the French Open, where she reached the fourth round.

She went into Wimbledon having not played a warm-up event on grass, but as the No 6 seed and with her history, she shared the favourite’s status with top seed Ash Barty.

At 39, there’s no certainty she will be back.

There was better news for her elder sister Venus Williams, who keeps going about her business.

The five-time Wimbledon champion won her first match at the Championships since 2018 with a 7-5, 4-6, 6-3 victory over Mihaela Buzarnescu of Romania.

She was 41 last month.

The win was only her second in her past six grand-slam matches but it also made her the fourth-oldest woman ever to win a match at Wimbledon, a reminder of her longevity, a testament to her physical ability and her sheer desire.

Only Madeline O’Neill (aged 54 in 1922), Martina Navratilova (47 in 2004) and Kimiko Date Krumm (42 in 2013) have won a match at an older age.

Guardian Sport