LONDON -- It was clear something was wrong with Serena Williams from the moment she began trying to warm up for her Wimbledon doubles match Tuesday. Dzenis Burnic Jersey . She weakly pushed volleys into the net from a couple of feet away. She whiffed on practice strokes. She even had trouble with the simple task of collecting tennis balls from the ball kids. After Williams was examined for about 10 minutes on the sideline by medical staff, including a check of her blood pressure, the match began. After three games, though, an out-of-sorts Williams and her partner, older sister Venus, stopped. The tournament referees office and WTA later said Serena, who lost in singles Saturday, had a viral illness. "I am heartbroken Im not able to continue in the tournament," Serena said in a statement. "I thought I could rally this morning because I really wanted to compete, but this bug just got the best of me." About 1 1/2 hours after leaving the court, Serena walked out of the All England Club, still wearing her white match outfit, and with a tournament towel draped around her waist. She got into a car and was driven away. "Unfortunately, Serena has been feeling unwell for the past few days and she just couldnt play to her potential today," Venus said. "Im really proud of her for trying because we just love playing doubles together." They have won 13 Grand Slam doubles titles as a pair, including five at Wimbledon. In singles, the 32-year-old Serena is ranked No. 1 and owns 17 major championships, the most among active women; five came at the All England Club. "We were all looking forward to a great match. From the bottom of my heart, I thank all of the fans for their cheers and understanding," said Serena, who was beaten in three sets by 25th-seeded Alize Cornet in the third round of singles. "I look forward to returning to Wimbledon next year." While being looked at by a doctor before the start of the second-round doubles match against Kristina Barrois and Stefanie Voegele, Serena hunched over and covered her face with her hands. During the delay, one of the Williams other sisters, along with Serenas agent and her hitting partner, left their seats in the stands. Eventually, play began. With Serena serving in the third game, she was broken at love with four double-faults. One of the best servers in the womens game, she hit balls that bounced before reaching the net. At love-40 in that game, chair umpire Kader Nouni took the unusual step of climbing down from his perch and walking over to speak to Serena. She then served another double-fault to fall behind 3-0. Serena and Venus walked to the sideline holding hands, and Nouni announced to the crowd at No. 1 Court: "Ladies and gentlemen, unfortunately, Miss Williams has to retire." Serena wiped away tears as she walked toward the courts exit. Her career has been marked by health problems. She missed eight months after having surgery on her left knee in 2003, the year she had completed a self-styled "Serena Slam" by winning four consecutive major titles. Days after winning Wimbledon in 2010, Williams cut both feet on broken glass while leaving a restaurant, leading to two operations on her right foot. Then she got clots in her lungs and needed to inject herself with a blood thinner. Those shots led to a pool of blood gathering under her stomachs skin, requiring another hospital procedure. In all, she was off the tour for about 10 months, returning in 2011. Neven Subotic Jersey . -- Sami Salo joked that as the shootout went on and on, one thing went through his mind: "Youve got to tie up your skates. Julian Weigl Jersey .com) - The Chicago Cubs reportedly signed recently-acquired outfielder Dexter Fowler to a one-year contract on Friday, avoiding arbitration. http://www.dortmundfcshop.com/c-15-shinji-kagawa-fc-borussia-dortmund-jersey.aspx .com) - The Boston Bruins announced Monday that the team has signed goaltender Niklas Svedberg to a one-year contract.The subject of the NHLs participation in future Olympic Games came up at a join media conference Tuesday in Sochi featuring NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, NHL Players Association executive director Donald Fehr and IIHF president Rene Fasel. The NHL has not committed to sending players to participate in the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea. Team Canada executive director Steve Yzerman continued to throw his support behind the NHLs participation in the Olympics when asked about it in a press conference last week. But, as expected, Bettman said this will be something addressed down the road. "The primary building blocks are logistics of travel, to and from the Olympics," NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said afterwards. "It was a big challenge coming to Sochi and it certainly would be a big challenge if we were to go to South Korea. Player insurance is always a factor with the magnitude and length of player contracts these days, an incredible number of assets at risk. "So those were two of the most fundamental things we talked about." Daly added that the NHLs participation this time was helped by the fact that NHL broadcasters CBC and NBC also were Olympic rights holders. But the rights holders have yet to be determined for 2018. "So we havent really given any serious consideration to South Korea at all," Daly said. The players will have a big say on this issue. Fehr promised a full and thorough investigation as to whether continued Olympic participation is what the playerrs want. Nuri Sahin Jersey. The NHL players volition to compete in the Olympics has been the main driving force behind their participation in the Winter Games. World Cup closer to return Fehr hinted that the two sides are closer to announcing details on a World Cup of Hockey. There hasnt been one played since 2004 and the speculation continues to be the next World Cup could happen as soon as 2016. There was the usual playfulness between Bettman and Fasel. At one point Fasel said there is nothing like seeing the smile of a hockey player when he wins a gold medal. To which Bettman was quick to reply, "Except winning the Stanley Cup." Finally, Daly was asked about expansion. There was a recent newspaper story in Seattle that said the NHL has targeted the city for an expansion team. "I think whenever Im asked that question, I make the same comments," he said. "The Pacific Northwest, we think is a good hockey area. I think the Vancouver Canucks have done extraordinarily well in developing that area as a good hockey market. Doesnt mean were going to expand there, doesnt mean weve made any decisions in that regard. "I said the same thing about Quebec City. I also believe its a very good hockey market with a very strong and passionate fan base. So theres nothing more I can say on expansion than we did [at the NHL Board of Governors meetings] in Pebble Beach, which is at some point in time it might be an appropriate consideration for us to bring to the board. But we havent reached that yet." Cheap NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Jerseys From China Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys ' ' '