Serena Williams’ hopes of securing her 24th Grand Slam were dealt a major blow as she was forced to retire from Wimbledon through injury on Tuesday.
Williams suffered an ankle injury after slipping on the surface midway through the first set of her first-round tie against Aliaksandra Sasnovich before withdrawing from the match.
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It represents a significant setback for the 39-year-old American, who was aiming to secure her eighth Wimbledon title which would have seen her equal Margaret Court’s record of 24 Grand Slam victories.
It is also the latest incident of players slipping on the Wimbledon courts this year, following Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Adrian Mannarino.
