Serena Williams retired from her first round match at Wimbledon on Tuesday against Aliaksandra Sasnovich with an apparent right leg injury.
Holding a 3-1 lead in the first set, Williams slipped and needed to take an injury timeout to receive treatment. She returned to the court but her movement was visibly limited.
The match ended at 3-all in the first set.
Williams gave an emotional wave to the crowd and held her hand over heart as she fought back tears before she exited the court.
“Of course I’m so sad for Serena, she’s a great champion,” Sasnovich said. “It happens sometimes in tennis but all the best for her and her recovery.”
This marks just the second time in Williams’ storied career she’s retired from a match at a major. The other occurrence was in the third round at the All England Club in 1998.
The 39-year-old Williams entered the tournament in search of her 24th major title, which would have tied her with Margaret Court for the most ever. She last won a Grand Slam at the Australian Open in 2017 and has made four finals since returning from child birth, including at Wimbledon in 2018 and 2019. She made the semifinals at the Australian Open earlier this year, as well as the fourth round at the French Open last month.
Williams was the second player on Centre Court on Monday to slip and suffer injury. Adrian Mannarino, who was playing against Roger Federer, also was forced to retire as a result of a similar fall.