In one of the most anticipated first round matches at Wimbledon, Serena Williams marked her return to singles competition with an adrenaline-fuelled roller-coaster defeat.
Playing in her first Tour-level singles match since September 2022, Williams produced an admirable performance with plenty of fighting spirit throughout her 145-minuite 6-3, 6-7(6), 6-3 loss to Maya Joint. A 20-year-old Australian ranked 87th in the world who is making her debut at SW19 this year.
Becoming the second-oldest woman to feature in a Wimbledon main draw in the Open Era, 23-time major winner Williams received an almighty cheer from the crowd as she walked onto the court. There were the inevitable signs of rust, but nothing too alarming that prevented her from competing against Joint, whose recent lull in form has seen her lose 13 out of her last 14 matches. Williams’ power was still there with her serves regularly exceeding the 100mph barrier, which is impressive for somebody in their mid-40s.
As for Joint, the Australian didn’t appear to be overwhelmed by the occasion. Throughout the first set, she was able to match Williams’ power. The opener was decided by a single game in which Williams hit a double fault and then a backhand into the net to get broken and go behind 3-5. Enabling Joint to seal the opener in 35 mins by hitting a clean forehand winner.
Williams’ woes continued into the second set after she was broken once again right away. Joint’s strategy of hitting deep and engaging in baseline rallies to show she wasn’t intimidated paid off for a short time, but it failed to tame her rival for long. The veteran eventually battled back to draw level at 3-3 through sheer determination before a succession of breaks of serve occurred.
Towards the business end, there was little to separate the two, with Williams fending off a quartet of break points at 5-5 that would have handed her rival the chance to serve for victory. Then, in the tiebreak, she saved a match point with the help of her trusted serve before holding her nerve to force proceedings into a decider.
Turing into a battle of the fittest, it was youngster Joint who had the edge. After dropping serve, she broke Williams twice to close in on victory as the clock moved nearer to 10pm, one hour before the tournament’s curfew. Joint doubled faulted on her second match point before it was third time lucky.
“I really don’t know what to say right now. I don’t what just happened, to be honest,” Joint said during her on-court interview.
“I didn’t get much sleep last night, I was up until 2am just thinking about it. Walking out (on court), I forgot the warm up, I don’t know what happened. My legs weren’t moving. I really don’t know how I got a pretty good start in the match.
“She [Williams] has so much aura, she is such a legend. This court has had so many huge names that have played in it. I have been dreaming about this since I was a little kid so this is pretty crazy.“
“I think [the toughest part] was just trying to come out on court and play a match against her. The start was nerve-wracking. Trying to finish out the match as well, I think she definitely lifted her level. She played some great tennis there.”
Williams, who will turn 45 in September, is one of the most decorated players of all time at The All England Club with 13 titles to her name – seven in singles, five in doubles and one in mixed doubles. She made her debut in 1998, which was 18 years before her latest opponent was born.
Despite the defeat, Williams has proven that she is still a star attraction, with Centre Court at almost full capacity watching her return. This may be a one-off or the start of something new. Previously stating she has nothing else to prove, the former world No.1 finds herself in a position where she can choose what to do next. A prospect that is both exciting and intriguing.
