Day 2 at The Championships features the conclusion of first round singles play.
Four years ago, Serena Williams made what was thought to be her last-ever appearance at Wimbledon. She lost in the first round, and went on to “evolve away” from tennis after that summer’s US Open, carefully choosing to avoid the word “retirement.” And this month, at the age of 44, Serena has returned to competition, playing doubles in a pair of grass court tuneup events. On Tuesday, the seven-time ladies’ singles champion returns to the singles court for the first time since 2022, and will play Australia’s Maya Joint in the first round of Wimbledon.
As tradition dictates, Iga Swiatek will open Day 2’s play on Centre Court, and she faces a complicated first-round draw in Taylor Townsend. 2022 champion Elena Rybakina also plays on Tuesday, as does recent Roland Garros champ Alexander Zverev. And 2021 Wimbledon finalist Matteo Berrettini squares off against three-time Major champion Stan Wawrinka, who is making his last appearance at The Championships.
Here’s a rundown of the most notable matches on Day 2 (in chronological order, all times local):
Taylor Townsend vs. Iga Swiatek (3) – 1:30pm on Centre Court
Since becoming a rather surprising champion a year ago, on what was thought to be her weakest surface, Swiatek has severely underperformed. She’s just 21-11 on the year, and hasn’t won a title since last September. Swiatek also lost her only match on grass this month, which was a three-setter against Emma Navarro. Townsend won the ladies’ doubles title here two years ago, and the lefty has a serve-and-volley game well-suited for grass, yet is only 2-5 here in singles.
Alexander Blockx vs. Alexander Zverev (2) – Second on Centre Court
After finally winning his first Major title in Paris, Zverev followed it up by advancing to the semifinals of Halle, where he lost 7-5 in the third to Taylor Fritz. The American continues to own Zverev in that rivalry, having beaten the German seven consecutive times. Zverev is now 38-10 this season, but he’s an extremely modest 16-9 lifetime at The Championships, and Fritz is lurking as a possible quarterfinal opponent. Blockx is a 21-year-old Belgian who was a semifinalist this year in Madrid. However, he’s 0-2 against Zverev, with a pair of straight-set losses within the last two months, including in that Madrid semifinal.
Lois Boisson vs. Elena Rybakina (2) – Second on No.1 Court
Rybakina’s Wimbledon record of 21-4 is her best at any Major. Yet while she’s enjoyed a strong season, which saw her accumulate her second Major title, Rybakina went just 1-2 this month on grass. Boisson has been sidelined by injury for much of the past year, following her shocking run to the Roland Garros semifinals. She is just 1-6 during 2025, and has never won a match on this surface.
Stan Wawrinka (WC) vs. Matteo Berrettini – Third on No.1 Court
Since reaching the gentlemen’s singles final five years ago, Berrettini is just 4-3 at SW19. And he has not played a match since retiring from the Roland Garros quarterfinals a month ago with a hip injury. However, this is decidedly his best surface, with four of his 10 career titles coming on grass. By contrast, grass has never been Wawrinka’s favorite surface, as he’s lost almost as many Wimbledon matches as he’s won, despite being a two-time quarterfinalist. Stan has only won 10 tour-level matches within the last year, ahead of his retirement at the end of 2026. Surprisingly, these two ATP veterans have never played before.
Serena Williams (WC) vs. Maya Joint – Third on Centre Court
The last of Serena’s seven ladies’ singles titles came 10 years ago. She reached two more finals after becoming a mom, losing them to Angelique Kerber and Simona Halep. But she lost in the first round during her last two appearances, one of which saw her suffer an ugly fall that forced her to retire. Serena looked rather sharp in the two doubles matches she played this month, though it’s unclear how she’ll perform in her first singles match in four years.
Joint is a 20-year-old Australian who debuted inside the top 30 earlier this season, after claiming two WTA titles during 2025, one of which came on grass. Last year in Eastbourne, she outlasted Alexandra Eala in the championship match, taking the third-set tiebreak by a score of 12-10. Maya’s best shot is her backhand, and owns plenty of variety. That could prove frustrating for Serena, though playing the greatest player of all-time on tennis’s most famous court is quite a daunting task. And Joint is a miserable 3-15 on the year at all levels, so she will not walk onto Centre Court with much confidence
Tuesday’s full Order of Play is here.
