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Injury puts Serena Williams’s doubles campaign in doubt
Serena Williams’s Wimbledon appearance in women’s doubles with sister Venus is in doubt because of a knee injury.
The 44-year-old made her return in singles after nearly four years away on Tuesday night to a rapturous Centre Court reception. Williams produced a strong display before fading in a 6-3, 6-7 (6), 6-3 loss to the 20-year-old Australian Maya Joint.
There had been no indication during the match that the 23-time grand slam singles champion had hurt herself but she did not attend the customary post-match press conference, instead issuing a short quote.
Players can be fined for skipping press conferences but it was revealed on Wednesday that Williams was physically hampered.
A statement from the American’s agent, Jill Smoller, read: “Serena tweaked her right knee at the end of the first set and was therefore excused from her media obligations by the Wimbledon and WTA medical teams.
“She left site that night unaided and is doing everything she can to be ready for her doubles match later this week.”
You can read the full story here:
As the clock strikes 1.01pm, Sabalenka and Kessler tardily step on to No 1 Court, as Sabalenka continues her bid for a first Wimbledon title and a first major title away from the hard courts. Sabalenka rated her first-round performance as an 8/10, as she shook off some of those nerves that she was shackled with during her unexpected French Open quarter-final defeat, when she was on the wrong end of a 6-0 final-set shellacking to Diana Shnaider. Kessler, the American world No57, served up some bagels of her own in the first round on Monday, by the way, overwhelming Ukraine’s Oleksandra Oliynykova 6-0, 6-0, so the 26-year-old will be full of confidence, even though she is up against the world No 1.
Good and bad news on the American front: Jenson Brooksby, who was without a grand slam match win in 2026 before this tournament, is the first man into the third round, with a 6-2, 6-2, 6-3 win over Peru’s Ignacio Buse. Brooksby could be rewarded/punished with a match against Jannik Sinner next. But Alycia Parks has gone out, 7-5, 6-0 to the qualifier Mananchaya Sawangkaew, who benefitted from Maja Chwalinska’s cruel luck in the first round. Chwalinska, the recent runner-up at the French Open, was match point up when he slipped and twisted her ankle before going on to lose.
Coming up on the show courts: Aryna Sabalenka v McCartney Kessler on No 1 from 1pm, and Jannik Sinner v Nuno Borges on Centre from 1.30pm. With Luke Donald, Justin Rose, Tommy Fleetwood and Rory McIlroy on the Royal Box list for this afternoon, a number of Europe’s victorious 2025 Ryder Cup team will be in attendance on Centre, and McIlroy has even decided to wear his Masters green jacket. I wonder what Novak Djokovic – who plays on Centre in the third match, against Stefanos Tsitsipas – will make of McIlroy outdoing his own sartorial choices. The audacity of upstaging the GOAT!
Serena Williams avoids fine
Matt Hughes
Serena Williams has escaped a $50,000 (£38,000) fine from the All England Club for failing to speak to the media after her first-round defeat to Maya Joint.
The 23-times grand slam winner did not attend the mandatory post-match press conference after her first singles match since the 2022 US Open, which ended in a 6-3, 6-7, 6-3 loss to the 20-year-old Australian.
The 2026 grand slam rule book which is adhered to by Wimbledon states that “both winning and losing players or teams will be required to attend post-match media opportunities following the conclusion of each match, unless unable to appear on reasonable grounds”. The rule book adds: “Violation of this section shall subject a player to a fine up to $50,000.”
The All England Club declined to comment, but sources indicated that Williams was unable to fulfil her media commitments because of a minor medical issue. Another source added they were not expecting the 44-year-old to be fined in the circumstances.
Williams received a standing ovation as she left Centre Court and will return to play doubles later this week alongside her sister Venus.
“It was really great to be back at Wimbledon,” Williams said in a statement. “I never expected to be here. The atmosphere was amazing. Walking out was amazing. I definitely relished it and missed it and enjoyed the moment more than anything.”
Yara El-Shaboury was watching on No 2 Court, and has this quick report:
Naomi Osaka cruised to a second-round 6-3, 6-2 win against the Russian qualifier Anastasia Gasanova. There was little worry for the four-time grand slam champion, whose serves and groundstrokes were stellar as she makes it to the third round at Wimbledon in back-to-back years.
There was a small moment of frustration in the second set, with Osaka stating “What the hell?” after hitting the ball out, which garnered some chuckles from the No 2 Court crowd. She then turned to her team to complain about Gasanova’s grunting but got on with business to win in straight sets.
The Japanese was candid in her on-court interview about her nerves, saying: “I don’t rate my performance. I have to wait a bit to do that. My current emotion is that I am happy to win. I am glad to do it in straight sets.
“Tomorrow is my daughter’s birthday so I didn’t want to make her get on a plane on her birthday. I will practise a bit in the morning and then maybe take her to the park. She loves making new friends.”
Dan Evans says goodbye
Evans and Searle are two match points down at 2-6, 4-5 against Hugo Nys and Edouard Roger-Vasselin. They save the first but can do nothing on the second as a return winner whistles beyond them, bringing the curtain down on Evans’s career. The 36-year-old former British No 1 is struggling to hold it together as the court 15 crowd give him a standing ovation.
“It’s amazing,” he says. “Sometimes you take this tournament for granted when you’re in the midst of your career and you’re trying to get better and better. But I’ve lived out my dreams. This tournament is what I grew up watching. I remember getting home from school to watch Wimbledon and I was one of the lucky few who got to play here in the end. Everything was worth it in the end.”
Farewell Evo, you were never afraid to go against the grain during your career, or say exactly what you thought about British tennis, and the game will be a little duller without you. And the 2015 Davis Cup victory will forever be ingrained in the country’s tennis history.
“I don’t rate my performance,” says Osaka, ever the perfectionist. “I was just happy I was able to win and do it in straight sets. I was nervous. Tomorrow is my daughter’s birthday so I just wanted to be here for longer, I didn’t want to get her on a plane on her birthday. I’ll have to practise in the morning, then maybe I’ll take her to the park.” She’s then asked about her slightly more streamlined walk-on outfit. “I’m trying to mix it up a bit,” she says, before departing to huge cheers. She’s such a popular player, she brings so, so much to tennis and it’s great to see her thriving on the grass.
Osaka defeats Gasanova 6-3, 6-2
But Ostapenko – who took out Britain’s Harriet Dart in a tight three-setter in the first round – pulls away from Osaka at the finish line, completing a 6-2, 6-0 destruction of Croatia’s Antonia Ruzic just before Osaka brings up her first match point at 40-30. Gasanova’s return goes well long and Osaka is into the third round of Wimbledon for a fourth time – but the four-times grand slam champion has never been any further. Could this be the year? She’s certainly looking sharp and confident, despite that injury, and she’ll have a winnable match against Daria Kasatkina or Janice Tjen next. Tjen is currently 7-6 ahead. A certain Aryna Sabalenka could await in round four, however.
Osaka retired with a right foot injury during the Bad Homburg final last weekend, her first career final on grass, but she’s got it firmly pressed on the gas here as she breaks for 4-2 courtesy of an overhead smash. Gasanova, the 27-year-old qualifier who’s ranked down at 225 in world, has played four matches just to get this far, and it looks to be catching up with her as Osaka consolidates the break … before breaking again Gasanova lobs long! At 6-3, 5-2, Osaka is a game from away from becoming the first player into round three.
The men’s doubles is getting under way today. Dan Evans, who’s playing the final event of his career after harshly being overlooked for a wild card in the singles despite everything he’s done for Britain in the Davis Cup, is currently a set down in his match, alongside Henry Searle. There are many more Brits to come later, including the defending champions Julian Cash and Lloyd Glasspool, the 2024 winner Henry Patten and the 2023 champion Neal Skupski.
So, to the early runners and riders. Naomi Osaka, along with the Queen’s runner-up Tommy Paul, Paul’s fellow American Jenson Brooksby and the 2017 French Open champion Jelena Ostaenko have all taken the opening set in their matches.
Osaka, who’s playing the Russian qualifier Anastasia Gasanova, walked on to court in a more practical, pared-back version of her Kill Bill-inspired kimono. Which is probably wise given she had to weave and wind her way through the grounds to get to No 2 Court. Though there again surely she could have just slayed all of the people getting in her way. She’s certainly slaying on court right now, leading 6-3, 2-2.
And if you’re still playing catch-up on yesterday, here’s everything you need:
Today’s order of play (all times BST)
Centre Court 1.30pm
(1) Jannik Sinner (Ita) v Nuno Borges (Por)
Barbora Krejcikova (Cze) v (5) Mirra Andreeva (Rus)
Stefanos Tsitsipas (Gre) v (7) Novak Djokovic (Ser)
No 1 Court 1pm
1) Aryna Sabalenka (Blr) v McCartney Kessler (USA)
Solana Sierra (Arg) v (7) Cori Gauff (USA)
(3) Felix Auger-Aliassime (Can) v Dino Prizmic (Cro)
No 2 Court 11am
Anastasia Gasanova (Rus) v (14) Naomi Osaka (Jpn)
Daniel Merida Aguilar (Spa) v (8) Daniil Medvedev (Rus)
(4) Jessica Pegula (USA) v Sara Sorribes Tormo (Spa)
(23) Rafael Jodar (Spa) v Pablo Carreno-Busta (Spa)
No 3 Court 11am
Soon Woo Kwon (Kor) v (21) Tommy Paul (USA)
(10) Karolina Muchova (Cze) v Shuai Zhang (Chn)
Jesper De Jong (Ned) v (24) Joao Fonseca (Bra)
(11) Belinda Bencic (Swi) v Xin Yu Wang (Chn)
Court four 11am
(4) Simone Bolelli (Ita) + Andrea Vavassori (Ita) v Ben Jones (Gbr) + Joshua Paris (Gbr)
Karol Drzewiecki (Pol) + Kamil Majchrzak (Pol) v Fernando Romboli (Bra) + John-Patrick Smith (Aus)
Tomas Martin Etcheverry (Arg) + Mariano Kestelboim (Arg) v (5) Christian Harrison (USA) + Neal Skupski (Gbr)
Court five 11am
Marcelo Melo (Bra) + Andres Molteni (Arg) v (14) Austin Krajicek (USA) + Nikola Mektic (Cro)
Quentin Halys (Fra) + Pierre-Hugues Herbert (Fra) v Mac Kiger (USA) + Patrik Trhac (USA)
(7) Kevin Krawietz (Ger) + Tim Puetz (Ger) v Zizou Bergs (Bel) + Alexander Blockx (Bel)
Court six 11am
Jakub Paul (Swi) + Ryan Seggerman (USA) v Luke Johnson (Gbr) + Jan Zielinski (Pol)
Diego Hidalgo (Ecu) + Matej Vocel (Cze) v (11) Francisco Cabral (Por) + Lucas Miedler (Aut)
Corentin Moutet (Fra) + Arthur Reymond (Fra) v Johannus Monday (Gbr) + Harry Wendelken (Gbr)
Court eight 11am
Alycia Parks (USA) v Mananchaya Sawangkaew (Tha)
David Stevenson (Gbr) + Marcus Willis (Gbr) v Ariel Behar (Uru) + Joe Salisbury (Gbr)
Adam Pavlasek (Cze) + David Rikl (Cze) v Marcos Giron (USA) + Alejandro Tabilo (Chi)
Court 11 1pm
Rinky Hijikata (Aus) + Marc Polmans (Aus) v (16) Jakob Schnaitter (Ger) + Mark Wallner (Ger)
Maximo Gonzalez (Arg) + Santiago Gonzalez (Mex) v Thanasi Kokkinakis (Aus) + Aleksandar Kovacevic (USA)
Court 12 11am
Marton Fucsovics (Hun) v (16) Learner Tien (USA)
(32) Katerina Siniakova (Cze) v Nikola Bartunkova (Cze)
(28) Brandon Nakashima (USA) v Jan-Lennard Struff (Ger)
Tatjana Maria (Ger) v (16) Iva Jovic (USA)
Court 14 11am
Hubert Hurkacz (Pol) v Sebastian Ofner (Aut)
Dayana Yastremska (Ukr) v Jessica Bouzas Maneiro (Spa)
Shintaro Mochizuki (Jpn) v Ethan Quinn (USA)
Court 15 11am
Daniel Evans (Gbr) + Henry Searle (Gbr) v (9) Hugo Nys (Mon) + Edouard Roger-Vasselin (Fra)
Zeynep Sonmez (Tur) v Claire Liu (USA)
(25) Arthur Rinderknech (Fra) v Martin Damm (USA)
Court 16 11am
Janice Tjen (Ina) v Daria Kasatkina (Aus)
Roman Safiullin (Rus) v Botic Van de Zandschulp (Ned)
(1) Harri Heliovaara (Fin) + Henry Patten (Gbr) v Terence Atmane (Fra) + Luca Sanchez (Fra)
Mariano Navone (Arg) + Adolfo Vallejo (Par) v (3) Julian Cash (Gbr) + Lloyd Glasspool (Gbr)
Court 17 11am
Jelena Ostapenko (Lat) v Antonia Ruzic (Cro)
Nicolas Mejia (Col) v Michael Zheng (USA)
(6) Marcelo Arevalo (Esa) + Mate Pavic (Cro) v Alexander Bublik (Kaz) + Nick Kyrgios (Aus)
Court 18 11am
Jenson Brooksby (USA) v (31) Ignacio Buse (Per)
(22) Alejandro Davidovich Fokina (Spa) v Fabian Marozsan (Hun)
Diane Parry (Fra) v (19) Anna Kalinskaya (Rus)
(18) Ekaterina Alexandrova (Rus) v Lanlana Tararudee (Tha)
Preamble
Hello! And welcome to our coverage of day three. The total British wipeout in the top half of the men’s and women’s draws means there are no Brits in singles action today, which for the English contingent among them does mean at least that they will be able to enjoy the England v DR Congo match later without having to contest a second-round match at Wimbledon or circumvent the All England Club’s ban on watching World Cup games. Every cloud and all. Perhaps it was the players’ plan all along; maybe the LTA should put that in its Wimbledon post-mortem.
But anyway, I’m wittering now, and there’s no time for that, given that play is already under way, with O-Ren Ishii sorry Naomi Osaka among those in early action, with Jannik Sinner, Aryna Sabalenka, Novak Djokovic, Coco Gauff, Mirra Andreeva, Flavio Cobolli, Felix Auger-Aliassime, Daniil Medvedev and Joao Fonseca to come later, along with many, many more. Don’t go anywhere! (well at least not until 5pm).
#Wimbledon #Serena #Williams #escapes #fine #Osaka #cruises #Evans #bows #live #Wimbledon
