The sight of Serena Williams leaving Wimbledon with a swollen right knee could easily have felt like another ending. Instead, those closest to her say the 44-year-old views the tournament as the first stage of a comeback she remains determined to continue.
Nearly four years after stepping away from singles tennis, Williams returned to Centre Court and pushed Australian Maya Joint into a deciding set before losing 6-3, 6-7, 6-3.
The defeat was followed by another disappointment when the injury forced her to withdraw from the women’s doubles event, ending plans for a reunion with sister Venus Williams.
Yet coach Rennae Stubbs has now made the retirement picture clear. Wimbledon wasn’t intended to be a one-off appearance, and the US Open remains firmly in the plan if Williams’ body allows it.
“Her intention is to keep playing; the US Open as well,” Stubbs said at Wimbledon.
“As long as physically she can go, and I’m hoping in a few weeks that’s the case, to get her back on the court and hitting balls.”
Injury left Williams wondering
The first-round result didn’t fully reflect how well Williams believed she was playing before the knee became a factor.
She had rebuilt competitive rhythm through doubles appearances at Queen’s Club and Berlin, while Stubbs said the former world No.1 had been defeating active tour players during practice sets in the build-up to Wimbledon.
“Leading up to the tournament, she was playing practice sets, beating players that are still in the tournament,” Stubbs said. “I won’t mention which ones because I don’t want to embarrass them, but she was playing well.”
That preparation left Williams convinced the match against Joint could have ended differently.
“She did whisper to me, ‘I would have won if I had a good knee,’” Stubbs said.
The injury became more serious after the singles match, with Williams later showing followers that fluid had been drained from the knee.
Her withdrawal from doubles was therefore a medical necessity rather than a sign that the wider comeback had been abandoned.
US Open offers more natural next chapter
The immediate priority is recovery, but Toronto and Cincinnati are possible warm-up stops before the season’s final Grand Slam.
Playing before New York would give Williams something she lacked at Wimbledon: singles matches under competitive conditions.
Hard courts may also suit her more naturally at this stage, allowing her to lean on the serve and aggressive first-strike tennis that delivered six US Open titles.
She has already hinted that fans should expect more. After withdrawing from Wimbledon doubles, Williams wrote: “All I can say is stay tuned to a city near you…”
A separate Instagram exchange with Carlos Alcaraz has also fueled speculation about the revamped mixed doubles competition in New York, though no partnership has been confirmed.
Another major title would be an extraordinary outcome, but that isn’t the immediate test. The first challenge is getting healthy enough to play again.
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