Wimbledon 2026: Tournament director admits giving Serena Williams extra time to recover before doubles match

Serena Williams' return to Wimbledon appeared to be over much sooner than expected. Williams sustained a knee injury during her first-round singles loss to Maya Joint, putting the doubles match with her sister Venus in jeopardy.

That doubles match was believed to be scheduled for Thursday, but when Wimbledon released its schedule for the day, the Williams sisters were not on it. The same thing happened Friday.

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With questions swirling about Serena's availability, tournament director Jamie Baker admitted Wimbledon was trying to give the legend enough time to recover so she could take the court with her sister, per The Telegraph.

"We are giving her as much time [to be ready]. Obviously we want her to play if she possibly can. In terms of the days, it's a guideline. That's what we're hoping to do based on trying to get the tournament finished.

"There are actually sometimes exceptional circumstances, like weather or injuries, or sometimes conflicts of players playing in two or three events. It doesn't happen that often but occasionally you do get the odd match that carries over."

Some might look at that as preferential treatment for the Williams sisters, something Baker didn't exactly deny.

"Serena and Venus are massive global stars," said Baker. "A lot of people want to see them."

That shouldn't necessarily come as a surprise, especially considering Serena's singles loss broke ratings records for ESPN.

It's unclear how long Wimbledon can continue to put off the match, however. The second round of women's doubles is slated to begin Saturday, presumably making it the final day the Williams sister could take the court and remain in the event. If Serena can't go Saturday, Wimbledon might be forced to make the Williams sisters lose their first match due to a walkover. It would be an unfortunate outcome for Serena, but a necessary one given her injury.

Williams' return to Wimbledon was highly anticipated after she announced her return to tennis in June. Williams, 44, played in both the HSBC Championships and the Berlin Open in preparation for Wimbledon. While her singles match at Wimbledon didn't go particularly well, Williams' doubles match with her sister still offered hope at a miracle run for the pair.

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Unless Williams can recover in time to play Saturday, her return to Wimbledon may have already come to an end.

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