The 23-time Grand Slam champion was forced to withdraw from her first-round match with an ankle injury.
The playing surface of Wimbledon ‘s Centre Court has come under intense scrutiny after Serena Williams was forced to retire with an ankle injury in her first-round match on Tuesday. Over the opening two days of the tournament, several players have complained the grass on the main court of the oldest of the four Grand Slam tournaments is too slippery. Williams’ retirement was the second in as many as matches on Centre Court on Tuesday. It came shortly after France’s Adrian Mannarino was forced to withdraw with a knee injury while leading two sets to one against Roger Federer. The 39-year-old was forced to retire during the opening set of her first-round match against Aliaksandra Sasnovich on Tuesday. The 23-time Grand Slam winner slipped twice and winced in pain as she appeared to twist her ankle during the fifth game of the opening set, which she was leading 3-1. Williams stared intently at the playing surface and looked visibly in pain as she called for treatment and hobbled off the court. She returned shortly afterward and tried to soldier on despite limping badly, before eventually withdrawing in the following game after her ankle buckled under her as she tried to return a serve.
