Serena Williams put up a remarkable effort in her first singles match in nearly four years, but the 23-time Grand Slam champion came up just short against Maya Joint at Wimbledon on Tuesday.
Williams, 44, thrilled the crowd on Centre Court with some vintage shot-making throughout the highly anticipated contest.
But it was Joint, the 20-year-old Australian, who held her nerve in the biggest match of her young career to claim a 6-3, 6-7 (6), 6-3 victory on tennis' most famous stage.
"I don't know what just happened," Joint said during her on-court interview. "I didn't get much sleep last night ... I've been dreaming about this moment since I was a little kid, so this is pretty crazy."
Maya Joint takes down Serena Williams in three sets in the legend's return to Wimbledon‼️ pic.twitter.com/fOnON4NkRX
— ESPN (@espn) June 30, 2026
Williams staved off a match point before clinching the second set in a tiebreaker. But Joint recovered well in the decisive third set, at one stage winning 12 of 13 points to pull away before sealing the victory as Williams eventually ran out of steam.
Joint was riding an 11-match losing streak at tour level prior to Tuesday.
Williams also plans to compete in doubles at the All England Club with older sister Venus later in the week.
Serena Williams back on Centre Court in 2026. #Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/VkaI8qbzmD
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) June 30, 2026
Serena Williams, who only played two doubles matches since announcing her return to the sport earlier in June, has captured seven Wimbledon singles titles in her iconic career. Her last one came in 2016.
She's the second-oldest woman in the Open Era to ever feature in the main draw at Wimbledon, behind only Martina Navratilova.
The 24-year age gap between Tuesday's opponents was the second-largest in a women's singles match at Wimbledon in the Open Era.
