 | « Back to article | Print this article |
American five-time Wimbledon women's doubles champion Serena and Venus Williams pulled out of this year's tournament on Tuesday, the All England Club said in a statement.
Wimbledon PHOTOS: Kvitova begins title defence in style
No reason was given for the withdrawal of the 12th seeds.
The Williams sisters won the women's doubles title in 2000, 2002, 2008, 2009 and 2012.
They were forced to retire mid-match last year with Serena suffering from a viral illness.
World number one Serena is bidding for a sixth Wimbledon singles title and could meet Venus, who has also won the title five times, in the last 16.
They have been replaced in the draw by lucky losers from qualifying Misaki Doi (Japan) and Stephanie Vogt (Liechtenstein).
