Tennis great Serena Williams limped out of Wimbledon in tears on Tuesday after an ankle injury forced her retirement early in a first-round match against unseeded Belarussian Aliaksandra Sasnovich.

The American sixth seed, a seven-times champion bidding for a record-equalling 24th Grand Slam singles crown, was clearly in pain early in the first set on a slippery Centre Court and limped off for treatment while 3-2 ahead.

Williams returned after a lengthy break but the distress was evident as she grimaced and wiped away tears before preparing to serve at 3-3 after Sasnovich had levelled.

The 39-year-old, who had been 3-1 up before the injury, sank to the grass sobbing, before being helped off the court.

“Brutal for @serenawilliams but centre court is extremely slippy out there. Not easy to move out there,” Britain’s Andy Murray said on Twitter.

Sasnovich, who practised her serve while Williams was getting treatment, commiserated with an opponent who had never gone out in the first round at Wimbledon in her previous 19 visits.

“I’m so sad for Serena, she’s a great champion,” said the world number 100. “It happens sometimes.”

Eight-times men’s singles champion Roger Federer expressed shock at Williams’ departure and voiced concern about the surface, with the roof closed on Centre Court on a rainy afternoon.

His first-round opponent Adrian Mannarino of France also retired with a knee injury after a slip.

“I do feel it feels a tad more slippery maybe under the roof. I don’t know if it’s just a gut feeling. You do have to move very, very carefully out there. If you push too hard in the wrong moments, you do go down,” Federer said.

“I feel for a lot of players, it’s super key to get through those first two rounds because the grass is more slippery, it is more soft. As the tournament progresses, usually it gets harder and easier to move on.”

Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Sunday Dare, on Tuesday insisted that his ministry did not abandon former Super Eagles coach Samson Siasia as being claimed by the former striker.

Siasia had claimed that he was abandoned by Dare and the ministry after his FIFA ban for alleged match-fixing.

John Joshua-Akanji, Special Adviser (Media) to the minister said in a statement in Abuja that contrary to insinuations by Siasia that he was abandoned, the minister actually raised money for him.

He added that the Minister responded positively by taking the matter of his plight to the attention of individuals and organisations to intervene.

“The ministry, through the Minister, was able to raise the money which Siasia personally collected while he was also connected to persons and entities who raised money to assist him in appealing his case at the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS).

“In response to concerted appeal launched by the Minister, the Governors of Lagos, Edo and Delta made available money which was handed over to Siasia at different times.

“The Minister stayed on top of the case by pulling all strings to assist Siasia.

“In addition to the governors of Edo, Delta and Lagos, he (Dare) made an appeal to Gov. Kayode Fayemi who is the Chairman of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum and Ekiti State Governor.

“In another instance, the Minister took Siasia on a visit to the then Bayelsa Governor, Seriake Dickson, to appeal for support for him.

“Siasia’s claim that government did nothing to assist him is untrue, deceitful, and misleading.

“While there is no budgetary provisions for such incidents, the Ministry and the Office of the Minister gave Siasia all the support that led to the mitigation of his life ban from football-related activities,” Joshua-Akanji added.

Siasia had recently claimed that he did not get the necessary support from certain groups, except from a few friends and governors.

He listed these groups as the Ministry of Youth and Sports Development, Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and other stakeholders.

CAS recently upturned Siasia’s life ban by FIFA to five years, after he filled an appeal at the global sports court

Tennis great Serena Williams limped out of Wimbledon in tears on Tuesday after an ankle injury forced her retirement early in a first-round match against unseeded Belarussian Aliaksandra Sasnovich.

The American sixth seed, a seven-times champion bidding for a record-equalling 24th Grand Slam singles crown, was clearly in pain early in the first set on a slippery Centre Court a

nd limped off for treatment while 3-2 ahead.

Williams returned after a lengthy break but the distress was evident as she grimaced and wiped away tears before preparing to serve at 3-3 after Sasnovich had levelled.

The 39-year-old, who had been 3-1 up before the injury, sank to the grass sobbing, before being helped off the court.

“Brutal for @serenawilliams but centre court is extremely slippy out there. Not easy to move out there,” Britain’s Andy Murray said on Twitter.

Sasnovich, who practised her serve while Williams was getting treatment, commiserated with an opponent who had never gone out in the first round at Wimbledon in her previous 19 visits.

“I’m so sad for Serena, she’s a great champion,” said the world number 100. “It happens sometimes.”

Eight-times men’s singles champion Roger Federer expressed shock at Williams’ departure and voiced concern about the surface, with the roof closed on Centre Court on a rainy afternoon.

His first-round opponent Adrian Mannarino of France also retired with a knee injury after a slip.

“I do feel it feels a tad more slippery maybe under the roof. I don’t know if it’s just a gut feeling. You do have to move very, very carefully out there. If you push too hard in the wrong moments, you do go down,” Federer said.

“I feel for a lot of players, it’s super key to get through those first two rounds because the grass is more slippery, it is more soft. As the tournament progresses, usually it gets harder and easier to move on.”

It has been thrilling moments inside the Molade Okoya Thomas Indoor Sports Hall of Teslim Balogun stadium, Surulere, Lagos as the maiden D.K Olukoya Girls Basketball championship got underway Monday with pomp and pageantry, fanfare, passion and great expectations.

The national tournament featuring eight teams from across the country features perennial Nigerian Women’s league champion, First Bank basketball club, Inspector General of Police(IGP) Queens, Warrior Amazons and Raptors Girls from Lagos, while War Queens from Sango Ota, Sunshine Queens of Akure and Delta Queens are traveling teams slugging it out with hosts, Mountain of Fire and Miracles Minitries Women Basketball club for honours.

As part of the opening ceremony, ace sports journalist with Supersport, Chisom Mbonu Ezeoke in her motivational speech enjoined all the participants to remain disciplined and believe in the beauty of their dreams as women athletes.

“The possibilities for success is endless, if you work hard and remain undaunted regardless of whatever challenges that you may face in life especially as women in this country”

“Let no one make you feel you can’t achieve whatever dream you set for your self. If you want to be an Olympian the journey to the Olympics starts now” she added.

In the opening match of the tournament coach Adewunmi Aderemi’s MFM Women’s Basketball club won their first game  thanks to a resolute hold off of a second half fightback from Warrior Amazons which ended 63-44.

The second day of the D.K Olukoya Girls Basketball Championships featured Delta Queens and IGP Queens at 10am, First Bank battled War Queens at 11:30am, while Sunshine Angels and Raptors locked horns at 1pm on Tuesday at the Molade Okoya Thomas Hall of the Teslim Balogun Stadium.

Here is a picture line up participating teams at the 1st D.K Olukoya Basketball Championship

The championship has been a fanfare of some sort to aspiring future basketball aspirants still in school as various schools in Lagos take their turns at the tournament for a first hand experience.