The No. 6 seed called it quits in her first-round matchup with Aliaksandra Sasnovich, in too much pain to continue after slipping and hurting her left ankle during their first set.

Williams lost her footing while hitting a forehand during the fifth game against Sasnovich. She braced herself with her racket, willing herself to her feet and walked off the court in tears.

The legend was met with a standing ovation from the Wimbledon crowd, waving as she exited.

The match ended at three games apiece.

“Of course I’m so sad for Serena; she’s a great champion,” Sasnovich said. “It happens sometimes in tennis, but all the best for her and her recovery.”

The injury means Williams’ pursuit of Margaret Court’s record of 24 Grand Slam wins remains ongoing, with the clock ticking on the 39-year-old’s illustrious career and her title count at 23.

In June, Williams fell to Elena Rybakina in the fourth round of the French Open. She has not won a major singles title since the 2017 Australian Open.

Her Wimbledon withdrawal marks only the second time in her career she has exited a Grand Slam in the first round.

Williams has won seven singles Wimbledon titles, her last coming in 2016. She reached the finals in 2018 and ’19.

This story originally appeared on: NyPost - Author:Michael Blinn