Serena Williams’ competitive preparation for Wimbledon will amount to two doubles matches.
A right knee injury to Williams’ doubles partner, Ons Jabeur, led to them withdrawing from the grass-court event in Eastbourne, the WTA said Thursday. They were scheduled to play Magda Linette and Aleksandra Krunic in the semifinals after winning two matches so far on the south coast of England.
Williams is making her comeback after nearly a year away from tennis.
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The 23-time Grand Slam singles champion has received a wild-card entry to play in the singles tournament at Wimbledon, which starts on Monday.
Jabeur is ranked No. 3 in singles. There was no immediate news about the seriousness of her injury.
Williams and Jabeur clinched a victory over Sara Sorribes Tormo and Marie Bouzkova in the first round of the women’s doubles.
Before the Eastbourne International, Jabeur expressed her nervousness of being partnered with tennis superstar Williams.
"I wanted to tell everyone but obviously I couldn't," Jabeur told the WTA Tour in an interview. "She's such a legend and such an example for our sport. I'm really nervous to play. I hope the match will be great and we'll have great matches."
