Williams’ hopes of playing in Saturday’s doubles looked to have improved after their match was added to the order of play on Friday.

Their tie, against Colombia’s Camila Osorio and Argentina’s Solana Sierra, was not allocated a court and not due to be played before 16:30 BST.

It suggested Williams was being given as long as possible to declare herself fit.

Williams showed little sign of a problem during a three-set loss to 20-year-old Joint and did not ask for treatment. But the knee was said to have swelled quickly after she came off court.

The looseness of Saturday’s plan also left Wimbledon with no scheduling issues in case the American superstars did withdraw.

Williams was due to practise at the All England Club at 16:00 but announced her decision to pull out about 15 minutes before.

The Williams sisters have won 12 singles titles between them, plus six doubles titles together, and the mood around the SW19 grounds was largely one of sadness and disappointment when it was announced the iconic pair would not play.

In her post announcing the decision, Serena Williams shared photographs of her wearing bandaging on the left knee and of what she said were syringes used to drain fluid from the area.

“I’m especially grateful to tournament director Jamie Baker and the entire tournament team for giving me every opportunity to play here,” said Williams.

“Thank you to the fans after your incredible support and for making this comeback so meaningful.

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

Williams has not confirmed what her plans for the next stage of her comeback will be.

After Wimbledon, the season switches to the North American hard court swing which culminates at the US Open between 30 August and 13 September.

Williams, who turns 45 in September, is a six-time singles champion at her home Grand Slam tournament and played what many expected to be the final match of her career at Flushing Meadows in 2022.