Serena Williams, the 23-time Grand Slam champion, returned to singles competition at Wimbledon on Tuesday for the first time since the 2022 U.S. Open, but the 44-year-old American fell to 20-year-old Australian Maya Joint 6-3, 6-7 (6), 6-3 in a first-round match that lasted 2 hours, 22 minutes on Centre Court.
Williams Shows Flashes of Brilliance
Williams demonstrated the powerful serve and heavy groundstrokes that defined her career, including a 121 mph ace in the first set and a 122 mph serve in the tiebreaker. However, Joint, ranked 87th, matched Williams's pace and won the crucial points, hitting 40 winners to Williams's 26, while both players committed 37 unforced errors.
Williams saved a match point in the second-set tiebreaker with a big serve down the T followed by a forehand approach winner, then converted her first set point when Joint missed a forehand long. But Joint broke early in the third set and secured the win on her third match point when Williams's forehand sailed long.
Joint's Dream Debut
“I don’t know what just happened, to be honest,” Joint said. “I didn’t get much sleep last night. I was up until like 2 a.m. just thinking about it. She has such an aura, she’s just a legend and this court has so many huge names that have played on it. I’ve been dreaming about this moment since I was a little kid, so this is pretty crazy.”
This was Joint's first Wimbledon victory in her second appearance at the All England Club, after losing in the first round last year. She won a Wimbledon warm-up tournament in Eastbourne in 2025, demonstrating her comfort on grass.
Williams's Return
Williams, who has no current singles ranking, received wild card entries for both singles and doubles with her sister Venus. She said her comeback was inspired by her two daughters being off from school. Her youngest, Adria (almost 3), watched her play singles for the first time, sitting in the front row next to her sister Olympia (8).
Williams received a standing ovation as she walked onto the court under the closed roof, with fans holding signs reading “Welcome Back” and one wearing a T-shirt with “Unstoppable Queen.” She executed a delicate topspin lob winner early and held serve with a 121 mph ace to make it 3-3 in the first set, but a costly double-fault led to the only break of the set.
In the second set, Williams saved four break points while serving at 0-40 to hold for 6-5. After winning the tiebreaker, she pumped her fist calmly. But Joint controlled the third set, and Williams smiled as she walked off the court to loud applause.
Williams has 98 career singles wins at Wimbledon. She will still compete in doubles with Venus later in the week.
