Serena Williams, a seven-time Wimbledon singles champion, made her return to singles play at the tournament, ultimately losing to Australia’s Maya Joint in three sets. The match concluded with a score of 6-3, 6-7 (6-8), 6-3 in favour of Joint. This appearance marked Williams’ first singles match at the grass-court Grand Slam since 2022.
Williams, at 44 years old, received a warm reception as she stepped onto Centre Court. Her last appearance at the All England Club was 1,462 days prior. Despite the long break, Williams demonstrated her competitive spirit, saving a match point and forcing a deciding set against Joint, who is 24 years her junior.
Match Details and Player Reactions
During the match, Williams showed glimpses of her past form, battling back from a break down twice in the second set to force a tie-break. She saved a match point with a forehand winner and a powerful serve, delighting the crowd by extending the match to a third set. However, the effort appeared to take its toll, and she could not maintain the pace in the final set.
Joint, who had experienced a series of losses on the WTA Tour, expressed her surprise and excitement after the victory. She mentioned being nervous before the match, stating, “I didn’t get much sleep last night, I was up until 2am just thinking about it.” Joint acknowledged Williams’ legendary status, saying, “She has so much aura, she is such a legend.”
Williams did not hold a post-match news conference but released a statement. It read, “It was really great to be back at Wimbledon. I never expected to be here. The atmosphere was amazing. Walking out was amazing.” She added that she “definitely relished it and missed it and enjoyed the moment more than anything.”
Williams’ Return and Future Plans
Williams’ return to singles followed her competitive comeback in women’s doubles earlier this month. She had previously partnered with Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko at Queen’s and Karolina Muchova in Berlin. Her decision to play singles at Wimbledon came after some deliberation, as she had to talk herself into accepting the wild card entry.
The 23-time Grand Slam singles champion had been away from the sport since her farewell at the 2022 U.S. Open, where she described her departure as “evolving” away from tennis. Her motivation for returning included the prospect of her two daughters, Olympia and Adira, watching her play. Both were present in her players’ box during the match, alongside her husband Alexis Ohanian and sister Venus Williams.
The Williams sisters are scheduled to compete together in the women’s doubles later this week. They will face Camila Osorio and Solana Sierra in their first-round match.
Williams’ singles record at Wimbledon in the first round now stands at 19-2, with her last two appearances in 2021 and 2022 also resulting in first-round losses. Her most recent singles title at the All England Club was in 2016.
Joint, who was ranked 87th in the WTA rankings prior to the match, secured her first-ever win at Wimbledon. She had previously lost 11 WTA Tour-level matches consecutively before this victory.
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Source: bbc.com
