Serena and Venus Williams were forced to withdraw from the Wimbledon doubles tournament after Serena fell ill. The tennis player appeared to be disoriented, failing to follow through with basic hand-eye coordination skills during the warm-up and having doctors evaluate her condition prior to starting the game.
Alize Cornet, a No. 25 ranked French tennis player, eliminated Serena from the singles competition on Saturday, leaving the doubles competition to be her last hope in winning another Wimbledon title.
Serena’s half-sister, Isha Price, commented on how Serena’s loss in the singles tournament may have had an impact on the player’s performance in the doubles match. Price told USA Today, “She seemed emotional, sad, you know what I mean? But before the match she was fine.”
The Williams’ sisters have won a total of five Wimbledon titles together, but after four failed serve attempts in the third set, the duo decided Serena would not be able to complete the match. The pair slowly walked off the court in tears as the crowd stood and sympathetically cheered.
However, Martina Navratilova was not so convinced by the Serena’s illness. She told ESPN, “I find it distressing. I think virus, whatever they're saying it was, I don't think that was it. I think it's clear that's not the case. I don't know what it is, but I hope Serena will be OK. And most of all, I don't know how she ended up walking onto the court."