Serena Williams has pulled out of her Wimbledon doubles campaign alongside sister Venus, after sustaining a knee injury during her opening-round singles defeat.

After 4 years away from the game, Williams was beaten in three sets by Australia's Maya Joint, during which the 23-time grand slam singles champion "tweaked" her right knee.

In a heartfelt post on social media, Williams said she was "heartbroken to have to withdraw from doubles. Coming back to compete again has been a gift,"

The post included images of four syringes that “shows the fluid they drained from my knee after my singles match.” 

An accompanying video showed Williams walking with a strapped right leg and one of her daughters holding a cane for her.

'Stay tuned to a city near you'

Williams did not speak to media after the match loss to 20-year-old Joint, with tournament organisers sending out a sole quote attributed to her.

"It was really great to be back at Wimbledon. I never expected to be here," she was quoted as saying.

"The atmosphere was amazing. Walking out was amazing. I definitely relished it and missed it and enjoyed the moment more than anything."

Williams and her sister Venus were given a wildcard into the doubles, which the pair have won six times between 2000 to 2016.

After news of William's knee injury broke, hopes of playing in Saturday's doubles looked to have improved after the siblings' match was added to the order of play on Friday.

Their tie, against Colombia's Camila Osorio and Argentina's Solana Sierra, was not initially allocated a court, hinting at giving Williams a longer rest period.

Williams indicated that this Wimbledon appearance was not a one off and that she would be returning to play.

The US Open is set to begin in late August.

“All I can say...is stay tuned to a city near you.”