Serena Williams Says That She's "Heartbroken" to Withdraw from Wimbledon

Serena Williams is out at Wimbledon.

The tennis superstar suffered a leg injury on Tuesday during her first match against Aliaksandra Sasnovich at the London-based tournament. According to The New York Times, Williams's hamstring injury was a result of the athlete slipping on the court, which was wet from rain. Her withdrawal from Wimbledon marks her earliest exit from the famed English tennis competition, where she's previously taken home seven Wimbledon singles titles, six women’s doubles titles, and one mixed doubles title on Centre Court.

"I was heartbroken to have to withdraw today after injuring my right leg," Williams wrote on Instagram, alongside an image of her exiting the court. "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."

Her husband, Alexis Ohanian, shared the same image of his wife on his Instagram, forgoing a caption and simply sharing a crown emoji.

Per the Times, Williams's fellow player 17-year-old Coco Gauff was watching from the Wimbledon gym and reportedly had to turn away from the television screen while her tennis idol was so clearly in pain during a crucial match.

"It was hard for me to watch that," Gauff told the outlet. "I'm a big fan of her, even though I'm a competitor now. But she’s the reason why I started to play tennis. It's hard to watch any player get injured, but especially her."

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