Heartbreak at Wimbledon: Serena Williams Loses Thrilling Comeback

Serena Williams lost her first professional singles match in nearly four years on Tuesday, falling to 20-year-old Australian Maya Joint 6-3, 6-7 (6), 6-3 in the opening round of Wimbledon on Centre Court.

Williams, 44, had not played singles since the 2022 US Open, where she announced her intention to step away from tennis. She returned to Wimbledon on a wild card invitation after playing doubles in two warmup events in the preceding weeks.

Joint, ranked 87th in the world, won the first set comfortably before Williams forced a tiebreak in the second, saving a match point to take the set and force a decider. In the third, Williams broke early and held a game point to go up 3-1 before Joint won four consecutive games to serve out the match.

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Williams did not meet with media after the match. In a statement released through Wimbledon organisers, she said: “It was really great to be back at Wimbledon. 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.”