Serena Williams bowed out of Wimbledon in tears last night after an ankle injury forced her to retire just six games into her first round match

 

Wearing a layered, floaty skirt which almost resembled curtains, Williams limped off Centre Court to huge applause from a sympathetic crowd

The six-time Wimbledon champion – who was vying for a record-equalling 24th Grand Slam title – appeared to glare at the turf before going off court for treatment.

Although she returned ten minutes later, the pain was evident on her face as she tried to serve.

And, despite her best efforts, she decided she could go no further with the score at 3-3.

Her opponent said: ‘I’m so sad for Serena. She is a great champion. It happens sometimes in tennis, but all the best to her.’

The six-time Wimbledon champion – who was vying for a record-equalling 24th Grand Slam title – was 3-1 up against Aliaksandra Sasnovich of Belarus when she hurt her ankle

British star Andy Murray tweeted: ‘Brutal for Serena Williams but Centre Court is extremely slippy out there. Not easy to move out there.’

France’s Adrian Mannarino also slipped on the same side of Centre Court as Miss Williams and was later forced to retire with an injury.

It came after a day of heavy rain saw players slipping on outside courts and play delayed or cancelled.

But the UK’s Fran Jones – who was born with a rare genetic disorder – defied the wet weather as she put on a valiant performance against Coco Gauff.

Miss Gauff made history at Wimbledon in 2019, when, aged just 15, she defeated Venus Williams in straight sets.

Last night the 17-year-old American secured a 7-5, 6-4 victory over Miss Jones, 20, who left the court to applause following her impressive debut.

And the heavy rain did not stop British No1 Dan Evans from becoming the third homegrown player to reach round two in the men’s singles after a straight sets win over Spain’s Feliciano Lopez.

After his victory, the Birmingham-born 31-year-old said he would spend the rest of the afternoon ‘hopefully watching England win’.

But British players Harriet Dart, 24, and Jay Clarke, 22, were both put out early after losing against Belgium’s Elise Mertens and Belarus’s Egor Gerasimov respectively.

Miss Williams is famed for her outrageous on-court outfits, which have included a denim skirt and leathers.

Opponent Aliaksandra Sasnovich of Belarus said: ‘I’m so sad for Serena. She is a great champion. It happens sometimes in tennis, but all the best to her’