Andy Roddick has delivered his verdict on Serena Williams' Wimbledon return after the tennis icon suffered a first-round defeat. Williams, 44, was beaten in three sets by 20-year-old Maya Joint in her first singles game in over four years.
Williams' Wildcard Return and Defeat
The 23-time Grand Slam champion was handed a doubles wildcard to play alongside her older sister Venus before also accepting an invite from SW19 bosses to play in the singles event. Williams' return was short-lived, however, as she suffered a 6-3 7-6 6-3 defeat to Australia's Joint in the first round. The mother-of-two showed glimpses of her brilliant former self but was ultimately outplayed by world number 87 Joint, who was on an 11-game losing streak.
Roddick's Verdict on Performance
Fellow American tennis legend Roddick was still largely impressed by Williams' performance, however, and believes she will also ask for a wildcard to play at the US Open. Speaking on the Served podcast, Roddick said: 'You know what I kept thinking during the match? I kept thinking how f*****g stupid I would look if I went out on Centre Court at Wimbledon to play my first match in four years. I would look like a moron, an idiot. Any analysis of Serena now is against her own shadow.'
'What I'm hearing by the way is that it was not her plan to play singles here. I thought it could have been but from what I'm hearing she wasn't dialled in for this from the outset, I don't know if she knew she would play singles two weeks ago.'
'Here's what I think… I think we will see her again on a singles court, for sure. I think she will be thinking that she almost won a match at Wimbledon again and there's a lot I can improve on. At the two-hour mark her legs kind of gave out, the serve started missing. But there were flashes, there were flashes.'
'But instead of winning three points in a row like she used to it would be two points and then an error out of nowhere. Credit to Maya Joint as well, I thought she played really well considering the circumstances and her losing streak.'
'If I know Serena at all, she will be p****d and think she can still beat these players, so I think we will see her at the US Open in singles. I don't think she can help herself, it's not how her mind works. I don't think was a one-off. I can't think that she feels worse about her game and her ability to compete after this match than before it. I think this defeat will burn her in a way that's good for the rest of us as fans.'
Press Conference Controversy
Williams missed her mandatory post-match press conference after exiting Wimbledon, with officials instead providing a brief statement from the seven-time champion. 'It was really great to be back at Wimbledon,' she said. '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.'
The Grand Slam Rulebook, which Wimbledon adheres to alongside the other three majors, states that players are required to attend post-match media duties 'unless unable to appear on reasonable grounds (for instance illness or injury)'. Williams' absence has attracted criticism from some pundits and fans, especially given she needed a wildcard just to feature at Wimbledon, but Roddick 'loved' her stance with the media. 'I kind of love that she still cares enough to be salty about press,' Roddick added. 'I kind of love that, I've got to be honest.'
What's Next
The Williams sisters are in Wimbledon doubles action on Thursday against Argentina's Solana Sierra and Colombia's Camila Osorio. Joint, meanwhile, who ended a run of 11 straight defeats with her victory over Williams, faces world number 32 Alexandra Eala in the second round. 'I didn't get much sleep last night, I was up until 2am just thinking about it,' Joint said in her on-court interview. 'Walking out, I forgot the warm-up, my legs weren't moving. I really don't know what to say right now. I don't know what just happened. This court has had so many huge names that have played on it. Serena has so much aura, she is such a legend. I have been dreaming about this since I was a little kid, so this is pretty crazy.'
