July 1, 2026
A Return to Centre Court
Serena Williams has returned to professional tennis after almost four years. However, her return to the Wimbledon singles draw ended in a loss in the first round on Tuesday.
She lost to 20-year-old American-born Australian Maya Joint after nearly a two-and-a-half-hour match. Williams dropped the opening set 6-3, rallied to win the second set 7-6, but fell 6-3 in the deciding third set. The match was played in Centre Court in London.
Facing a Rising Star
According to the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA), Joint is ranked No. 87 in singles and No. 45 in doubles. Williams is currently unranked in singles and No. 597 in doubles.
“She’s such a legend, and this court has so many huge names that have played on it. I’ve been dreaming about this moment since I was a little kid, so this is pretty crazy,” said Joint after her big win.
A Champion's Welcome
Although she took the loss, Williams walked off the court with a standing ovation from the crowd.
“It was really great to be back at Wimbledon,” Williams said in a statement. “I never expected to be here. The atmosphere was amazing. Walking out was amazing. I definitely relished it and missed it and enjoyed the moment more than anything.”
A Storied Career
Despite the loss on Tuesday, Williams remains one of the sport’s most accomplished players. The 44-year-old tennis player is a 23-time Grand Slam singles champion, seven of which came from Wimbledon. She has 73 singles titles and 23 doubles titles during her 27-year career.
The Road Ahead
She walked away from tennis after the 2022 US Open and made her official return to tennis in June, playing doubles at the HSBC Championships with Canadian Victoria Mboko.
When she received a wild card for the Wimbledon ladies’ singles, she decided to take the opportunity. According to Wimbledon’s website, wild cards are players who do not qualify automatically but are accepted into the main championships draw.
She was set to play doubles on July 2 with her sister, Venus Williams. They were scheduled to face Camila Osorio of Colombia and Solana Sierra of Argentina.
However, it is now uncertain due to a knee injury Williams sustained in the singles match. Williams’ agent, Jill Smoller, said that Williams tweaked her right knee in the first set of the match. She then skipped the required post-match press conference.
By: Hannah Vore, Journalist Intern