Serena Williams suffered a dramatic first-round defeat on her return to singles tennis at Wimbledon, losing 6-3, 6-7 (6/8), 6-3 to Australian youngster Maya Joint on Centre Court. This marked Williams's first professional singles match since stepping away from tennis in 2022. Despite saving a match point in the second set and showing glimpses of her vintage best, the 44-year-old ran out of steam after breaking first in the deciding set. It was her third consecutive first-round exit at the All England Club, following similar outcomes in 2021 and four years ago.
Williams, a 23-time Grand Slam champion, became the second-oldest player to compete in Wimbledon women’s singles in the Open era, behind Martina Navratilova, who reached the second round at age 47 in 2004. She received a standing ovation before the match, with supporters holding signs such as “Welcome Back” and wearing T-shirts proclaiming her as the “Unstoppable Queen.”
Meanwhile, Iga Swiatek started her Wimbledon title defense with a nervy win. Other notable results included Ben Shelton being eliminated by Finland’s Otto Virtanen, while Taylor Fritz and Alex de Minaur advanced in straight sets.
Last year, Williams rebounded from losing her French Open crown by winning her maiden Wimbledon title, but she was not at her best in this year’s match against Townsend.
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