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- Serena Williams says she is "heartbroken" after being forced to withdraw from Wimbledon.
- The 39-year-old suffered a leg injury early on during her first round match on Tuesday.
- "My love and gratitude are with the fans and the team," she said in an emotional Instagram post.
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Serena Williams says she is "heartbroken" after being forced to withdraw from Wimbledon through injury.
The 23-time Grand Slam winner suffered an leg injury early in the first set of her first round match against Belarus' Aliaksandra Sasnovich on Tuesday.
Though she tried to play on, Williams eventually bowed out in the seventh game of the set after abruptly falling to the ground in the middle of a point, screaming in pain as she did so.
As she left the court in tears, the 39-year-old was given a standing ovation from the crowd on Centre Court.
"I was heartbroken to have to withdraw today after injuring my right leg," Williams wrote on Instagram after the match.
"My love and gratitude are with the fans and the team who make being on centre court so meaningful. Feeling the extraordinary warmth and support of the crowd today when I walked on - and off - the court meant the world to me."
Williams' retirement from the tournament was just the second time in her illustrious career that she's done so during a major match, and was the first time in her career that she has exited Wimbledon in the first round.
And it comes just days after she publicly announced that she would not be taking part in the Tokyo Olympics this summer.
Williams told reporters on Sunday that she would not be competing at the Games, though she declined to elaborate on the reasons behind her decision.
"Yeah, I'm actually not on the Olympic list. Not that I'm aware of," she said. "If so, then I shouldn't be on it."
"There's a lot of reasons that I made my Olympic decision," she added. "I don't feel like going into them today. Maybe another day, sorry."
After her withdrawal on Tuesday, Williams did not speak to the media, but her opponent took questions, expressing her disappointment at progressing by default, and her sadness for Williams.
"It's very sad for me, honestly, when your opponent feels bad. She's a great champion, and it's sad story," Sasnovich said.
"I was happy to play against her. She's a great champion. She has a lot of Slams. It was a dream of my dad. He dreamed for eight years in a row, he just wrote me before the match, that I would play with Serena in Wimbledon, and it happened."