Serena Williams' Wimbledon return ends in first round loss
The 44-year-old tennis legend Serena Williams returned to Wimbledon singles after nearly four years, but lost to British player Maya Joint 3-6, 7-6(6), 3-6 in the first round.
After nearly four years away from singles competition, Serena Williams made her return to Wimbledon, but her comeback was short-lived. The 44-year-old tennis legend lost in the first round to British player Maya Joint, ranked 87th in the WTA, with a score of 3-6, 7-6(6), 3-6.
Williams is 24 years and 202 days older than her opponent, marking the second-largest age gap in women's singles at Wimbledon in the Open Era. The largest gap occurred in 2004 when Martina Navratilova faced Hisele Dulko, who was 28 years younger.
This was Williams' first singles match since the 2022 US Open, where she lost in the third round to Australia's Ajla Tomljanovic. At that time, she said she did not want to use the term "retirement." She had not played singles for more than two years.
Despite the singles loss, Williams will compete in doubles at Wimbledon alongside her sister Venus. The sisters have won 14 Grand Slam doubles titles together, including six at Wimbledon. Serena Williams has a total of 23 Grand Slam singles titles, seven of which were won at Wimbledon. She also has two Grand Slam mixed doubles titles, one each at the US Open and Wimbledon.
