Wimbledon pushes Serena Williams’ doubles match to July 4 after knee injury

Serena Williams’ doubles match at Wimbledon with her sister Venus has been rescheduled for Saturday, July 4, a decision made by tournament organizers to allow Serena extra recovery time following her recent knee injury in singles play.

Competing at Wimbledon for the first time in nearly four years, Serena revealed that she tweaked her right knee at the end of the first set during her singles opening-round 6-3, 6-7 (6), 6-3 loss to Maya Joint. Despite the setback, Serena quickly reassured her fans, posting on Instagram that she would do “everything I can to be ready for doubles.”

“It felt so good to be back on the grass at Wimbledon,” Serena shared with her followers. “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.”

The Williams sisters’ first-round doubles match was originally slated for Friday, July 3, against Camila Osorio and Solana Sierra.

However, late changes led to their match being postponed. Tournament director Jamie Baker explained, according to Yahoo Sports, that multiple factors, including scheduling logistics, player health and fan safety, contributed to the decision to move the match to Saturday.

“We are giving her as much time, obviously, we want her to play if she possibly can,” Baker said.

Baker also emphasized that fan safety was a “huge consideration,” given the expected surge in attendance for the sisters’ much-anticipated reunion on the doubles court.

As of July 3, the Williams sisters are scheduled to play on Saturday, July 4. The exact time has yet to be announced.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Wimbledon pushes Serena Williams’ doubles match to July 4 after knee injury