"This is a mission I'm proud of, bringing people together through the power of sport" - Serena Williams on her association with UK-based startup Let's Do This

Supported by American tennis legend Serena Williams and retired Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt, a UK-based sports platform called Let's Do This raised more than €56 million in a recent funding round. Craft Ventures and Headline led the Series B round along with EQT, NFX and Y Combinator.

While stating the importance of sports, the former World No. 1 and 23-time Grand Slam champion praised the startup for its efforts to encourage people to keep fit.

"I love sport and have seen first-hand the positive impact it can have on people’s lives. But many people are often held back from discovering sport and the benefits it can bring them. 'Let’s Do This' breaks down this barrier by allowing people to discover new ways of keeping fit, encouraging them to push themselves, and providing a sense of community and camaraderie in the process, irrespective of fitness levels. This is a mission that I am proud of – bringing more people together through the power of sport,” Williams said.

The startup was established by Alex Rose and Sam Browne in 2016. The main goal of the company has been to encourage people to come forward as a community to discover and access events like running, cycling, swimming and others.

Serena Williams will not feature at the 2022 Wimbledon Championships

Serena Williams' last match was at the 2021 Wimbledon where she retired in the opening round.

Earlier this month, when Wimbledon released the entry lists for this year's edition, Serena Williams' name was missing. The dejected fans were still hoping to see the American enter the tournament as a wild card right before the event. However, the player soon confirmed her absence in London for this year.

This will be just the fourth time since her debut in 1998 that the seven-time Wimbledon champion hasn't participated in the grass-court Major. Her last match came almost a year ago in the first round of Wimbledon, where she retired due to an injury against Aliaksandra Sasnovich.

The last time she won a Grand Slam was back in 2017 at the Australian Open, which saw her become a 23-time Major winner, just one short of Margaret Court's tally. After this, the American managed to reach four Grand Slam finals but could not win any of them.

Quite a few other big names will be missing from this year's Wimbledon Championships, including Roger Federer, Venus Williams, and Leylah Fernandez.

Following the All England Lawn Tennis Club's decision to ban Russian and Belarusian players from participating this year, World No.1 Daniil Medvedev, Andrey Rublev, Karen Khachanov, and Aryna Sabalenka will also not feature in this year's grass Slam.