Serena Williams is out of Wimbledon in the first round after injury forced her to retire in the early stages of her match with Aliaksandra Sasnovich.https://scudnewsng.com
The American was tearful as she had to withdraw from the match.
She was seeking a historic 24th grand slam title at the return of an event she has won seven times.
Williams had broken Sasnovich and led 3-1, appearing to be in full control of Tuesday’s contest on Centre Court.
But she suffered an ankle injury in the fifth game after seeming to slip while playing a forehand.
With her movement clearly limited, Sasnovich broke back and Williams left the court for treatment as she took a medical timeout.
She re-emerged to huge applause and bravely tried to continue but was visibly in severe discomfort.
The 39-year-old had to call a halt to proceedings with the match level at 3-3, having let out a scream of pain as she tried in vain to reach the ball.
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