The sixth seed from the United States, a seven-time winner vying for a record-tying 24th Grand Slam singles title, was visibly in discomfort early in the opening set on a slick Centre Court and walked off for treatment when leading 3-2. Williams returned after a long break, but her sorrow was palpable as she grimaced and brushed away tears before preparing to serve at 3-3 after Sasnovich leveled the match.
The 39-year-old dropped to the turf, sobbing, before being assisted off the court. She had been ahead 3-1 before the injury. ‘Brutal for @serenawilliams, but it’s really slick out there on center court. It’s not simple to move around out there,’ Andy Murray of the United Kingdom observed on Twitter.
Eight-time men’s singles winner Roger Federer expressed surprise at Williams’ departure and expressed concern over the surface. After a misstep, his first-round opponent Adrian Mannarino of France also had to withdraw due to a knee injury.
‘I do feel it feels a tad more slippery maybe under the roof. I don’t know if it’s just a gut feeling. You do have to move very, very carefully out there. If you push too hard in the wrong moments, you do go down,’ Federer said.
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