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Serena Williams' comeback has been put on hold after her doubles partner Victoria Mboko withdrew from the Queen's Club WTA event with a knee injury.
After nearly four years away, the 44-year-old American great partnered Canadian teenager Mboko to victory against Nicole Melichar-Martinez and Erin Routliffe in front of a sell-out crowd in London on Tuesday.
They were scheduled to play Canada's Leylah Fernandez and Germany's Laura Siegemund in the quarter-final on Thursday, but 19-year-old Mboko has been forced to withdraw after slipping painfully during her singles match against Czech Republic's Karolina Pliskova the day before.
Mboko had to retire from that match and left the court hobbling and close to tears.
Williams, who has won 23 Grand Slam singles titles, will continue her comeback in Berlin next week and could seek a wildcard for the Wimbledon championships, most likely in the doubles, which are being held from June 29 to July 12.
Williams won her first of seven singles title at Wimbledon in 2002 and her most recent in 2016. She has also won six ladies doubles titles at the grass-court Grand Slam.
Wildcards are handed to players whose rankings do not merit a place in the main draw and are often handed to players representing the home nation, top players returning from injury lay-offs or those, such as Williams, with special credentials.
The announcement will be made on Tuesday.