Serena Williams' hopes of becoming the first woman to win an eighth Wimbledon singles title and tie Margaret Court's Grand Slam singles record of 24 were dashed on Tuesday.
The 39-year-old was leading Aliaksandra Sasnovich of Belarus 3-1 in the opening set of her first round match when she stumbled and had to have her left ankle checked by the medical team.
Williams returned following medical treatment, but at 3-3, she called it a day and cried her way off Centre Court.
Williams is the first woman to lose in the first round of the Wimbledon Championships.
With the withdrawal of 2019 winner Simona Halep and of Naomi Osaka prior to the tournament, the American would have fancied her chances of finally equaling the contentious Court's milestone.
Williams had already decided to skip the Olympics to give herself more time to heal before the US Open in September, which she had won six times.
Williams hasn't won a Grand Slam since the Australian Open in 2017. She also underwent strapping on her right leg.
Her tripping happened at the same end of the court as Adrian Mannarino's, ending the Frenchman's hard-fought match with Roger Federer.
Mannarino slipped and fell late in the fourth set, and he was forced to withdraw at the start of the fifth.
Federer stated that when the roof is in use, as it was due to rain earlier on Tuesday, the surface becomes more slippery.


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