Serena Williams Exits Wimbledon With an Injury

Novak Djokovic, the No. 1 men’s player and a five-time Wimbledon champion, fell twice in his opening-round victory over Jack Draper on Monday. But Williams was not the only competitor to retire after a fall on Centre Court on Tuesday.

In the preceding match, Adrian Mannarino, a French veteran, was leading Roger Federer by two sets to one. But Mannarino slipped while changing direction with Federer serving while leading 4-2 in the fourth set. Mannarino landed awkwardly, his right knee twisting, and remained on his back on the grass for more than a minute before limping to his chair and being examined by tournament medical officials.

After Federer closed out the fourth set at 6-2, Mannarino retired following the opening point of the fifth set, and Federer, 39, advanced to the second round.

Federer said he was asked after the match for his opinion on the court’s condition by Gerry Armstrong, the tournament referee.

“I said, ‘I think the court plays normally as we know it,’” said Federer, an eight-time Wimbledon champion. “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 go down. I do feel it’s drier during the day. With the wind and all that stuff, it takes the moisture out of the grass.”

Earlier on Tuesday, Williams’s older sister Venus, 41, defeated Mihaela Buzarnescu of Romania, 7-5, 4-6, 6-3. It was the first singles victory at Wimbledon for Venus Williams since 2018.

It remains to be seen how many more moments Serena Williams will have on Centre Court. She, like Federer, is approaching her 40th birthday, but she certainly has a role model in her own family who has demonstrated that 40 is not an impassable barrier in tennis.

Ben Rothenberg contributed reporting.