Serena Williams is in a race to be fit for her Wimbledon doubles match with Venus Williams after suffering a knee injury.
Williams was hurt in the first set of her singles match against Maya Joint, where she was beaten 3-6, 7-6(8-6), 3-6.
The 44-year-old now has to make a quick recovery to play her doubles match with her sister against Solana Sierra and Camila Osorio on Thursday.
Fortunately Williams has issued a relatively positive update on the issue, along with a classy message towards her recent opponent at Wimbledon.
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Serena Williams pushing to be fit for Wimbledon doubles
Sharing images of her visit to Centre Court at the All England Club, Williams posted on her Instagram: “It felt so good to be back on the grass at [Wimbledon].
“I’m incredibly thankful for the wild card – and even more grateful my daughters got to see that it’s never too late to chase something you love.
“I tweaked my knee late in the first set, but I’ll be doing everything I can to be ready for doubles with [Venus Williams].
“Congratulations to [Maya Joint] on a great match, and thank you to everyone who showed up and showed me so much love. That feeling will never get old.”
READ MORE: Why Serena Williams made the right decision to play at Wimbledon despite first round loss
Naomi Osaka loved seeing Serena Williams back at Wimbledon
Centre Court was bustling for the return of 23-time Grand Slam champion Williams, who has claimed seven of her titles at Wimbledon.
And while she couldn’t grind out a victory, she has left the tennis world with yet another fantastic memory, and that includes Naomi Osaka.
Sharing her take on the legendary figure, WTA star Osaka said after her latest match: “No, honestly, I haven’t seen her in person.
“I watched the match until the second set was over, then I had to go to sleep because I was first on today. It was really cool.
“Obviously, like, the montages that they had before the match started made me really emotional because I feel like I’ve watched her growing up.
“Now I feel like I’m grown up and I get the privilege of watching her again. So it was really cool.”
Unlike Williams, Osaka has enjoyed success at Wimbledon this year, with the former world number one already into round three.
A four-time Grand Slam champion, she now meets Daria Kasatkina after defeating Elsa Jacquemot and Anastasia Gasanova in London.
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