Watch: Serena Williams receives standing ovation after being forced to retire from Wimbledon

After an impressive start for grand slam quest No. 24, Serena Williams heartbreakingly retired in the first round after slipping and pulling her hamstring, applauded with a standing ovation.

Having begun the match with a 3-1 lead, Serena Williams seemed poised in her heroic journey to hold the all-time record for most grand slams (women or men) in any era. But 34 minutes into her confident start against Belarussian player Aliaksandra Sasnovich, Williams conceded that she could not continue, retiring in the first set, 3-3.

Having slipped on the grass early on, Serena Williams had called for a medical timeout to address an already-vulnerable right hamstring injury that had been taped up prior to the match. The tennis legend returned to center court, where she’s won 14 slam titles—seven single, six women’s doubles, and one mixed doubles—and attempted to serve while fighting back tears. As she reached forward, she doubled over in pain, giving in to the inevitable.

Serena Williams forced to retire at Wimbledon

The grass courts seemed especially slippery starting out these first two days of the tournament. World No. 1 Novak Djokovic already slipped twice during his first-round victory over Jack Draper the day before. On Tuesday it was Roger Federer’s French opponent, Adrian Mannarino, who went down after a horrific fall in the fourth set, badly injuring his knee and forcing his withdrawal that gave the eight-time Wimbledon winner his walkover win. But slips and falls are par for the course before the greens get worn in and more manageable in the first week of the grass slam.

Wimbledon was considered Serena’s best chance of increasing her grand slam haul, which sits at the Open Era record of 23, having surpassed Steffi Graff’s record with her 2017 Australian Open victory. The disappointment at Wimbledon comes shortly after the American player announced that she will not compete in the Tokyo Olympics, although she has not cited her reasons. Having won four gold medals (three in doubles and one in singles), it’s no wonder that the sports icon is prioritizing slams over the Games.

For now, Williams will be focusing on her physical health as she prepares for a hard-court season, with the U.S. Open the next target in her slam sights. Serena has had tremendous recent success at Flushing Meadow, having reached the semis there last year and the two years prior to that, back-to-back finals.

The first-round matches of Wimbledon will conclude on Wednesday.