Defeat in the return of Serena Williams
Serena Williams returned to center court at Wimbledon after almost four years without playing singles. The 44-year-old American fell in the first round to the 20-year-old Australian Maya Joint, 6-3, 6-7 (6), 6-3.
Williams showed flashes of her best tennis: powerful serves, deep shots and a winning lob that ignited the crowd. However, he couldn’t sustain the pace. Joint, number 87 in the ranking, handled the pressure and closed the key points.
“I don’t know what just happened, to be honest. I didn’t sleep much last night. I was up until like 2 a.m. just thinking about it,” Joint said after the game.
The young Australian confessed the nerves of the moment:
“She has an incredible aura, she is a legend. I have dreamed of this moment since I was a little girl, so this is crazy.”
Williams had not played a singles match since the 2022 US Open. She arrived at Wimbledon with wild card invitations in both singles and doubles, where she will later play with her sister Venus. Her two daughters, Olympia and Adira, watched from the front row.
The match lasted 2 hours and 22 minutes. Both committed 37 unforced errors, but Joint led 40-26 in winners. Williams saved a match point in the second set, but could not beat her opponent’s consistency.
Joint achieved only his third singles victory at a Grand Slam. Born in 2006, when Williams already had seven major titles, she now has a historic triumph.
Other results
Second seed Alexander Zverev defeated Alexander Blockx in four sets. Iga Swiatek, defending champion, beat Taylor Townsend in three sets. Instead, fourth-seeded Ben Shelton lost in five sets to Finland’s Otto Virtanen. Matteo Berrettini eliminated Stan Wawrinka, who will retire at the end of the year.
