LONDON, June 30 — Serena Williams made her long-awaited return to Wimbledon singles competition on Tuesday, but the 44-year-old tennis icon was defeated in the first round by 20-year-old Australian Maya Joint. The match ended with a score of 6-3, 6-7(6), 6-3 in favor of Joint, who secured the biggest victory of her career on Centre Court.
Williams, a seven-time Wimbledon champion and 23-time Grand Slam winner, received a standing ovation from the crowd as she stepped onto the court for her first singles match in four years. Despite the loss, she expressed gratitude for the experience. "It was really great to be back at Wimbledon," Williams said. "The atmosphere was amazing. Walking out was amazing. I definitely relished it and missed it and enjoyed the moment more than anything."
Joint, who was not born when Williams won her first Grand Slam title, admitted to feeling overwhelmed by the occasion. "I really don't know what to say right now," she said. "I didn't get much sleep last night, I was up until 2 a.m. just thinking about it. Walking out, I forgot the warm-up, I don't know what happened. My legs weren't moving. I don't know how I got a pretty good start in the match."
Williams will continue her Wimbledon campaign in the doubles tournament alongside her sister Venus. Joint will advance to the second round, where she will face Filipino 29th seed Alexandra Eala.
Meanwhile, 41-year-old Stan Wawrinka also bid farewell to Wimbledon in his final appearance, losing a marathon match to Matteo Berrettini. Defending champion Iga Swiatek survived a scare in her opening match.
Williams' family, including her husband Alexis Ohanian and their two daughters, Olympia and Adira, were in attendance to support her. The crowd cheered loudly for Williams throughout the match, but Joint held her nerve to secure the victory.
Williams had previously stated that she was "evolving away from tennis" but had not used the word "retirement." Her return to competitive singles play after a four-year hiatus drew significant attention, with many fans hoping for a fairytale comeback. However, the physical demands of top-level tennis proved too much in her first match back.