Serena Williams made an emotional return to Wimbledon singles after a four-year absence but suffered a 6-3, 6-7(6), 6-3 first-round defeat to Australia’s Maya Joint. The 44-year-old wildcard missed the opportunity to become the oldest woman since Martina Navratilova in 2004 to win a singles match at the All England Club, although she praised the warm reception from supporters.
Joint, who is only 20 years old, produced the biggest victory of her career by overcoming one of tennis’ greatest champions on Centre Court. The Australian admitted she struggled with nerves before the match but managed to stay focused despite the occasion. She will now face Alexandra Eala in the second round, while Serena is set to continue her Wimbledon campaign in the doubles event alongside her sister, Venus Williams.
Meanwhile, Stan Wawrinka ended his Wimbledon journey with a spirited four-set defeat to Matteo Berrettini in what marked his final appearance at the tournament. The 41-year-old fought hard in a closely contested encounter before bidding farewell to Wimbledon fans after another memorable chapter in his distinguished career.
Defending women’s champion Iga Swiatek recovered from a second-set setback to defeat Taylor Townsend 6-1, 2-6, 6-3 and reach the second round. Elsewhere, Amanda Anisimova, Jasmine Paolini, Karolína Plíšková and Elena Rybakina all advanced, while Elina Svitolina suffered an early exit after losing to compatriot Daria Snigur.
On the men’s side, Alexander Zverev progressed after a hard-fought victory over Alexander Blockx, while Grigor Dimitrov celebrated a successful return with a straight-set win. However, fourth seed Ben Shelton became the highest-ranked casualty after losing a marathon five-set match to Finnish qualifier Otto Virtanen. Meanwhile, Taylor Fritz comfortably secured his place in the second round alongside several fellow Americans.