WIMBLEDON, England - It was clear Serena Williams was in trouble before the first point of her doubles match Tuesday at Wimbledon.
The top-ranked Williams, who was knocked out of the singles competition in an often listless 1-6, 6-3, 6-4 loss to No. 25 Alize Cornet on Saturday, looked far worse three days later.
Williams appeared unsettled upon returning to No. 1 Court, the site of her singles defeat, for her doubles match alongside her sister Venus. The Williams sisters have won five Wimbledon doubles titles together, but as Serena tried to warm up for the match against Stefanie Voegele and Kristina Barrois, she appeared disoriented and adrift.
She had trouble several times performing basic tasks of hand-eye coordination, including picking up balls or catching ones tossed to her.
After the warm-up ended, Williams was visited on court by doctors who measured her blood pressure. Williams told them she felt faint, and wiped away tears and covered her face. She sat for nearly 10 minutes as her sister looked on with concern, so long that Barrois asked if she might be able to warm up again.
Williams eventually decided to play, and the crowd cheered as she took the court. Venus served first, and though she won a few points with serves that her opponents were not able to return, Voegele and Barrois won the opening game. Voegele and Barrois extended their lead to 2-0, and it was time for Serena to serve.
She was not up to the test. She double-faulted four times, including several serves that bounced near the net or hit the frame of her racket. After the third double fault, the chair umpire, Kader Nouni, descended from his perch to ask Williams if she was able to continue. One double fault later, Williams walked to her chair, with Venus holding her hand briefly. The two then officially retired from the match.
'Ladies and gentlemen, unfortunately, Miss Williams has to retire,' announced Nouni, garnering applause that had been sympathetic and encouraging throughout the ordeal.
Venus and Serena Williams then walked slowly off the court together. The referee's office listed the reason for the withdrawal as a 'viral illness.'
After the match, Williams's coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, said that he had no idea what was ailing Serena, and added that he had not seen her for two days before she took the court. Williams's longtime hitting partner and confidant, Sascha Bajin, also said he did not know what was amiss.
An hour and a half later, the BBC showed Williams slowly walking into an official tournament transportation van, escorted by Mouratoglou.
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