Serena Williams has issued a statement following her return to Centre Court at Wimbledon, where she fell to a three-set defeat in her opening match against 20-year-old Australian Maya Joint. The 44-year-old American, playing her first Grand Slam match in four years after coming out of retirement, could not undertake her post-match press obligations, though no explanation was provided.
Statement from the 23-time Grand Slam champion
Instead of a press conference, Williams released a statement saying: "It was really great to be back at Wimbledon. I never expected to be here. The atmosphere was amazing. Walking out was amazing. I definitely relished it and missed it and enjoyed the moment more than anything."
Williams was met with a thunderous roar from the crowd as both players walked onto Centre Court. The 23-time Grand Slam champion suffered a 6-3, 6-7 (7-9), 6-3 loss against Joint, who was playing in her first Wimbledon main draw.
Match details: Williams fights back but falls short
Williams dropped the first set 6-3 and appeared to be heading for a straight-sets loss after having her serve broken twice in the second set. However, she battled back to clinch the second set in a tiebreaker. Joint regained control in the third and deciding set, taking it 6-3 to seal the match and advance to the second round of Wimbledon for the first time.
Speaking on court after her win, Joint was visibly shell-shocked. "I don't know what just happened," she said. "I didn't get much sleep last night. I was up to 2am thinking about it. Walking out, I forgot the warm-up, I don't know what happened. My legs weren't moving. I got a pretty good start in the match. She has such an aura, she is such a legend. So many huge names have played on this court. I have been dreaming of this moment since I was a little kid, so this is pretty crazy. I tried to come out to this court and play a match against her - the start was very nerve-wracking and to finish it off was special. She lifted her level and played some really great tennis."
Doubles action ahead for Williams sisters
Williams will next take to the court alongside her elder sister Venus in the doubles competition. The duo go up against Solana Sierra and Camila Osorio in the opening round of the tournament on Thursday.
