Serena Williams was making her 22nd appearance at Wimbledon
Serena Williams came close to a sensational comeback win on her Wimbledon return before narrowly losing an epic three-setter to Maya Joint.
Four years ago, the American great waved what many thought would be a final goodbye to Centre Court after a first-round loss to France's Harmony Tan.
But on Tuesday, the 44-year-old received an electric reception as she stepped back onto the pristine grass courts on which she won seven singles and six women's doubles titles.
And, 1,462 days after her last point at the All England Club, Williams demonstrated her never-give-up mentality to save a match point and force a deciding set against a player 24 years her junior.
Despite the crowd's best attempts to help Williams open the latest chapter of her tennis career with victory, Australia's Joint held firm to claim a 6-3 6-7 (6-8) 6-3 win.
Williams congratulated Joint at the net before lapping up the ovation that came her way as she made her exit.
The 23-time Grand Slam singles champion made her competitive return in the women's doubles earlier this month, almost four years after saying she was "evolving" away from the sport.
While she showed glimpses of her former self alongside Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko at Queen's and Karolina Muchova in Berlin, questions remained over how Williams would fare physically on her return to singles.
By returning, Williams became the second oldest player to appear in the women's singles draw at Wimbledon – and it appeared that time had caught up with the serial winner during her hiatus from the sport.
Without a partner for back-up, Williams was exposed in the baseline rallies during the opening set, unable and unwilling to race across and meet Joint's exceptional down-the-line winners.
However, after a rusty start, her level gradually started to improve and she battled resiliently to stick with Joint, twice recovering from a break down in the second set to force a tie-break.
And when Joint was presented with her first match point, Williams responded with a blistering forehand winner and a 120mph serve to turn her fortunes around and delight the Centre Court crowd with an extra set.
That battle came at a cost, however, and the former world number one could not keep pace with the American-born 20-year-old, who held her arms aloft after wrapping up her first-ever win at Wimbledon.
Live scores, results and order of play
Get tennis news sent straight to your phone
Mbappe hits post after effort ruled out as France face Sweden
Williams falls just short on epic Wimbledon singles return
Defying logic – how Haaland could end up with 260 international goals
Endless goals and must-see action
Reacting to Germany's shock exit to Paraguay
Alex Batty vanished at 11. Now he tells his story
Is the 48-team team World Cup format working well?
Williams' Wimbledon legacy before return to Centre Court. Video
Germany fans in need of hope as prospect of Klopp looms
North v South – the battle for global supremacy is tighter than ever
Arsenal poised – can Newcastle convince Guimaraes for a second time?
'It's been an easy retransition' – Williams on Wimbledon return
Did Russell's pole set dangerous precedent? F1 Q&A
45 minutes from Brazil 'humiliation' – but 'Crafty Carlo' does it again
Germany beaten on penalties as Paraguay reach last 16. Video
Paraguay's tears of joy over World Cup shock
'That's Federer-esque!' – best shots from Wimbledon day one. Video
Stokes created moments and the moments are no more
Is tennis' relentless nature causing injury crisis?
Why Maresca? What Man City fans can expect from Guardiola's successor
Move over Messi and Ronaldo – the new generation shining at World Cup
When five Wimbledon titles in one weekend changed British tennis
How to follow Wimbledon day two live on the BBC
Play BBC Sport's new World Cup predictor game
Copyright © 2026 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.
About the Author
