Serena Williams is officially waving goodbye to the 2026 Wimbledon Championship.

And the beloved tennis ace has cited health issues as the cause.

Full story below…

The superstar, who bowed out of active competition in 2022 after arguably the most iconic run in the history of the sport, sensationally announced her return for this year’s competition.

And she was set to play in singles and doubles, the latter of which would be with her sister Venus Williams. 

After a hard-fought first game, Serena was eliminated by Maya Joint in singles competition.

Now, ahead of her doubles match (which was rescheduled), the 44-year-old has officially pulled out and cited knee issues.

Read Serena’s full address below:

“I’m heartbroken to have to withdraw from doubles. Coming back to compete again has been a gift, and the opportunity to play alongside @venuswilliams once more meant the world to me. I did everything I could to be ready, but unfortunately my knee just isn’t ready to compete.

I’m especially grateful to tournament director, Jamie Baker, and the entire tournament team for giving me every opportunity to play here. Thank you to the fans for your incredible support and for making this comeback so meaningful…All I can say is stay tuned to a city near you…

The photo of the syringes shows the fluid they drained from my knee after my singles match…yikes! The good news is my knee shouldn’t swell or collect that much fluid again. The bad news is that, as hard as I tried, I just wasn’t able to get it ready for doubles.”

Your thoughts?