As Serena Williams bows out, Roger Federer raises concerns over 'slippery' Wimbledon court

One of the modern-day greats of lawn tennis as well as 21-time Grand Slam winner, Roger Federer was left in disbelief after hearing that Serena Williams had to forfeit her first-round match of the ongoing Wimbledon due to an ankle injury.

Roger Federer shocked as ankle injury rules Serena Williams out of Wimbledon

“Oh, my God, I can’t believe it. It’s obviously terrible that it’s back-to-back matches and it hits Serena as well. You do have to move very, very carefully out there. If you push too hard in the wrong moments, you do go down", said Roger Federer during the press conference.

In fact, Roger Federer himself had got a walkover win in his opening match at Wimbledon after France's  Adrian Mannarino was unable to compete due to a knee injury. Adrian Mannarino had kept the Swiss icon at bay, taking a 2-1 lead in sets before the latter staged a brilliant comeback in the fourth set.

However, the Frenchman's dream of getting the better of the eight-time Wimbledon champion ended after his knee buckled underneath him as he was seen laying on the turf in deep discomfort. Mannarino was attended by the physio and a long break was taken but in spite of that, he could not continue and ended up conceding the game to the last edition's runner-up.

Even Roger Federer's long-time rival  Andy Murray as well as two-time Wimbledon winner Andy Murray took to the micro-blogging site and termed Serena Williams' injury as brutal. At the same time, he also mentioned that the centre court is extremely slippy and it is not easy to move out there.

Serena Williams' injury

Serena Williams' quest for a 24th career Grand Slam prolonged after an ankle injury forced her to retire from the grass-court during her Wimbledon first-round match with Aliaksandra Sasnovich of Belarus on Tuesday.

Serena Williams was in complete control of the proceedings in the first set of her first-round match before she slipped and needed an examination on her left ankle. Serena Williams was on the ground before she was helped to her feet by the chair umpire. While the former world number one did receive medical attention instantly but, she was in no position to continue as she seemed to be in excruciating pain and in the end, had no choice but to forfeit the match.

The champion player was in tears and could barely move as she acknowledged the crowd who gave her a standing ovation.

Serena Williams withdraws from Wimbledon 2021

The seven-time Wimbledon champion officially confirmed her ouster from the ongoing tournament and said that it is indeed 'heartbreaking' for her to exit the tournament in this manner after having injured her right leg. 

"I was heartbroken to have to withdraw today after injuring my right leg. My love and gratitude are with the fans and the team who make being on centre court so meaningful", wrote Williams on her official Instagram page.

"Feeling the extraordinary warmth and support of the crowd today when I walked on - and off - the court meant the world to me", she added.