Serena Williams made her return to singles tennis on Tuesday after four years away from the game, but her comeback ended in the first round of Wimbledon with a 6-3, 6-7(6), 6-3 defeat to Australia’s Maya Joint.
The 44-year-old American, playing with a wildcard entry, was hoping to become the oldest woman since Martina Navratilova in 2004 to win a singles match at Wimbledon. Although she fell short, Williams said she was grateful for the incredible support she received from fans.
“It was really great to be back at Wimbledon,” Williams said.
“I never expected to be here. The atmosphere was amazing. Walking onto Centre Court was special. I enjoyed every moment and really missed it.”
For 20-year-old Joint, the victory was the biggest of her career. The Australian was not even born when Williams won the first of her 23 Grand Slam singles titles.
“I honestly don’t know what just happened,” Joint said.
“I barely slept last night because I kept thinking about this match. When I walked onto the court, I almost forgot everything. My legs weren’t moving, but somehow I managed to get off to a good start.
“Serena has such an incredible presence. She’s a legend, and playing on Centre Court has always been a dream.”
Williams will now turn her attention to the doubles event, where she will partner her sister Venus Williams. Joint, meanwhile, moves on to face 29th seed Alexandra Eala of the Philippines in the second round.
Earlier in the day, Stan Wawrinka played the final Wimbledon match of his career. The 41-year-old fought hard but lost to Matteo Berrettini in a marathon four-set contest.
Defending women’s champion Iga Swiatek also had to work hard before beating American Taylor Townsend 6-1, 2-6, 6-3 to reach the second round.
“I’m happy I got through because I became quite tense in the second set but managed to find my game again,” Swiatek said.
“It’s satisfying to win matches like these because it’s easy when everything is going your way. The tough ones are the ones that really test you.”
Amanda Anisimova, who lost last year’s final to Swiatek, comfortably defeated qualifier Lina Gjorcheska 6-3, 6-2 in just over an hour.
Former finalists Jasmine Paolini and Karolina Pliskova also advanced. Paolini recovered from losing the first set to beat Robin Montgomery 0-6, 6-4, 7-5, while Pliskova defeated fellow Czech Tereza Valentova 6-3, 6-4.
Former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina also progressed with a three-set win over Lois Boisson. However, eighth seed Elina Svitolina suffered a shock defeat against fellow Ukrainian Daria Snigur.
In the men’s draw, newly crowned French Open champion Alexander Zverev defeated Alexander Blockx in four sets to reach the second round.
Grigor Dimitrov enjoyed a winning return to Wimbledon a year after his injury heartbreak, beating Dane Sweeny in straight sets.
The biggest upset came when fourth seed Ben Shelton was knocked out by Finnish qualifier Otto Virtanen in a thrilling five-set match that lasted nearly four and a half hours.
Taylor Fritz had a much easier day, defeating Dusan Lajovic in straight sets. Fellow Americans Patrick Kypson, Marcos Giron and Zachary Svajda also progressed.
British fans had more reasons to cheer after Katie Swan, Arthur Fery and Jacob Fearnley all reached the next round.
Australia’s Alex de Minaur also advanced and admitted it was difficult balancing his own match while supporting his fiancée, Katie Boulter, who lost earlier in the day.
“It was tough seeing Katie lose,” De Minaur said. “She always handles these moments so well. For me, the challenge was staying focused on my own match, even though you want everyone close to you to keep winning.”
