Audiences were left concerned after Serena Williams injured her right knee during her first-round singles match at Wimbledon in June 2026 while playing against Maya Joint. Despite immediate treatment and having excess fluid drained from her knee, the recovery process was slower than expected. This caused Williams to officially withdraw from the Wimbledon doubles event on July 4, 2026.

In a recent Instagram post shared on July 4, Williams shared an update with her fans. Despite doctors having done their best to drain all the fluid from it following the singles match, she felt her knee was not ready.

“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,” she shared on her Instagram post.

However, the good news is that Williams hinted at being back on court once she is fully healed.

“I’m especially grateful to tournament director Jamie Baker and the entire tournament team for giving me every opportunity to play here," she shared. "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.”

She said the procedure should prevent significant swelling in the future. Back in 2019, Williams withdrew from the Miami Open and the Internazionali BNL d'Italia in Rome due to lingering pain in her left knee, a recurring issue that had affected her for years.

In her first Wimbledon appearance in four years, Williams was defeated by rising Australian Maya Joint in a demanding three-set first-round clash on Tuesday, June 30. The former champion injured her knee midway through the match.

While Williams called off her SW19 run this year, she follows a pre-match routine to help her stay match-ready.

Inside Serena Williams’ pre-match routines

To maintain a high level of agility, speed, and endurance, Williams focuses on workouts and routines that build strength and power.

As per Dr. Workout, the living legend may have faced several professional and personal roadblocks. However, Williams has overcome each of them with aplomb. She won seven Wimbledons and also 23 major singles titles. This has been the most that any other American tennis player has ever won in the open era.

Williams’ workout routine is a perfect combination of lower and upper body exercises that are designed to increase her stamina and endurance.

Of course, she prioritizes stretching, ensuring she puts in a good 10 minutes before any workout. Right after stretching, she moves on to cardio exercises for another 10 minutes, constantly changing her cardio routine to avoid boredom.

Speed and agility drills take up most of her workout, focusing on short sprints with random changes of direction and explosive movement. She also works with resistance bands, engaging in core exercises, lunges, squats, and upper-body exercises.

Her typical routine includes-

• Fitness ball transfer
• Plank rows
• Resistance band hip extensions
• Rolling knew tucks
• Barbell pause squats
• Barbell box squats
• Barbell front squats
• Pillar holds
• Dumbbell step-ups
• Dumbbell walking lunges
• Bicycle crunches
• Horizontal and vertical leg crunches

Do you think you can attempt Serena Williams’ workout routine? Let us know in the comments.

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Written by

Avantika Das

Edited by

Soheli Tarafdar