Serena Williams was excused from her media obligations at Wimbledon after it was revealed she “tweaked her knee” during her first-round defeat to Maya Joint on Tuesday.
Williams has emerged as an injury doubt for her doubles match with sister Venus Williams, but is doing “everything she can to be ready”, her agent Jill Smoller said.
The 23-time grand slam champion lost in three sets on Tuesday night in her first singles match in four years, despite a valiant effort from the 44-year-old under the roof on Centre Court.
Williams received a standing ovation as she left Centre Court but she is now a doubt to return to play doubles later this week alongside her sister Venus.
“Serena tweaked her knee at the end of the first set and was therefore excused from her media obligations by the Wimbledon and WTA medical teams,” Williams’ agent Smoller said. “She left site that night unaided and is doing everything she can to be ready for her doubles match later this week.”
It was initially explained that the seven-time Wimbledon champion was “not able” to undertake post-match media duties, instead issuing a quote that was shared by the All England Club.
“It felt so good to be back on the grass at Wimbledon,” Williams later posted on Instagram. “I’m incredibly thankful for the wildcard - and even more grateful my daughters got to see that it’s never too late to chase something you love.
“I tweaked my knee late in the first set, but I’ll be doing everything I can to be ready for doubles with Venus. Congratulations to Maya Joint on a great match, and thank you to everyone who showed up and showed me so much love. That feeling will never get old.”
The 2026 Grand Slam rule book, adhered to by Wimbledon as well as the other three majors, states that “bothwinning and losing players or teams will be required to attend post-match media opportunities following the conclusion of each match”.
The rule book says the media opportunities “enable players to put across their opinions on their performance and provide valuable exposure to the media and fans” and “help drive engagement with the sport”. Violation of the rule can lead to a fine of up to $50,000.
But the All England Club were satisfied that Williams provided a quote and saw no reason to penalise the 23-time grand slam champion. The rule book also states that players can skip media on “reasonable grounds”, such as injury or illness.
Williams, who was watched by both of her young daughters on Centre Court, played for two hours and 22 minutes on her first match in four years and did not finish the match until around 10pm local time.
She was set return in the doubles competition on either Thursday or Friday, and may attend press following her first-round match with Venus, but her involvement in the tournament is now in serious doubt.
Williams is yet to confirm if she will continue her comeback after Wimbledon, with a return to the US Open - where she memorably reached the third round in what appeared to be her final tournament before retirement four years ago - a possibility.
Several star players, including Jannik Sinner, Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff, limited their contractual media appearances before the start of Wimbledon as they protested their share of prize money at the Championships.
Rather than skip the press conferences completely, and risking a $50,000 fine, the players timed themselves and stopped answering questions after roughly 10 minutes. The players returned to normal media duties on Monday following “constructive meetings” with the All England Club.
