Williams Falls to Joint in Three Sets on Centre Court
Serena Williams’ highly anticipated return to singles tennis at Wimbledon ended in a first-round defeat on Tuesday, as the 44-year-old American lost 6-3, 7-6 (6), 6-3 to Australia’s Maya Joint on Centre Court. The match marked Williams’ first singles appearance at the All England Club since 2022 and her first since retiring from professional tennis.
Williams, a seven-time Wimbledon singles champion, showed moments of brilliance, particularly with her serve, but ultimately could not overcome the 20-year-old Joint, who is ranked world No. 87. The crowd of 15,000 gave Williams a standing ovation as she entered the court, and they roared her on throughout the two-hour, 15-minute contest.
Williams Fights off Match Point in Second Set
After losing the first set 6-3, Williams trailed 3-1 in the second set before mounting a comeback. She forced a tie-break, where she faced a match point at 5-6. Williams saved it with two blistering first serves, winning the next three points to take the set 7-6 (6) and send the match to a decider.
“She has such an aura, she is such a legend,” Joint said after the match. “I have been dreaming of this moment since I was a little kid, so this is pretty crazy.” Joint added that she struggled to sleep the night before, saying, “I was up to 2am thinking about it.”
Fatigue Proves Decisive in Final Set
Williams broke Joint’s serve early in the third set to take a 2-1 lead, but fatigue began to take its toll. The 44-year-old’s movement, a significant liability throughout the match, worsened as the set progressed. Joint broke back and closed out the match, winning the final set 6-3.
Williams’ serve remained a formidable weapon—she fired 13 aces—but she struggled with consistency from the baseline, committing 38 unforced errors. Joint, by contrast, played a composed match, winning 62% of points on her first serve and breaking Williams three times.
Doubles with Venus Williams Ahead
Williams will remain at Wimbledon to compete in doubles alongside her sister, Venus Williams, who watched from the stands. The sisters have won six Wimbledon doubles titles together. However, the future of Williams’ singles career remains uncertain. She declined to participate in her mandatory post-match press conference, leaving questions unanswered about whether she will continue on the North American hard court swing this summer.
Williams, the second-oldest woman to play a singles match at Wimbledon in the Open Era, has not played a singles match since the 2022 US Open. Her return was met with widespread support, but the result was always a likely outcome given her extended absence from competitive play.
For Joint, the victory is the biggest of her young career. “Walking out, I forgot the warm-up, I don’t know what happened. My legs weren’t moving,” she said. “So many huge names have played on this court. This is pretty crazy.”
