Serina Williams' long-awaited return to the courts at “Wimbledon“ ended with a dramatic defeat in the first round. The 44-year-old American tennis legend lost to the 24-year-old Australian Maya Joint with 3-6, 7-6 (6), 3-6 after more than two hours of hard-fought battle on Centre Court.
Despite displaying incredible character, the 23-time Grand Slam champion was unable to overcome a lack of competitive rhythm in her first professional singles match in nearly four years.
The match unfolded: A battle of nerves and a saved match point
The match started better for world No. 87 Maya Joynt, who took advantage of the initial tension and inaccuracies in the American's game to close the first set with 6-3.
The real thriller, however, came in the second set. When the match seemed to be coming to a quick end, Williams found her rhythm and began to land powerful shots from the bottom of the court. In the ensuing tiebreak Serina showed incredible will and saved a match point at 5-6 points, then won three consecutive games to level the sets under the thunderous applause of the packed stands.
In the decisive third set, the veteran's drive continued and she was the first to break, leading 2-1. At this critical moment, however, the young Australian demonstrated enviable composure. Joynt immediately returned the break, won four consecutive games and ultimately closed the match 6-3 in her favor.
The statistics after the match showed extremely aggressive play on both sides, with Joynt finishing with 10 aces and 40 winners, while Williams recorded 7 direct service points and 26 winners, but also 37 unforced errors.
Silence after the end
Immediately after the match, Serena Williams thanked the audience for the warm welcome and said that the feeling of stepping on the sacred grass again was “pure happiness“. However, the positive emotions were quickly overshadowed by disappointment.
In violation of the traditional rules of Grand Slam tournaments, the American categorically refused to appear at the mandatory press conference after the match. She left the complex in southwest London without answering the media's questions, which will likely lead to a serious financial fine from the organizers.
Maya Joynt, for whom this was the biggest victory of her career, advances to the second round of the tournament, where she will face Alexandra Eala. For Serena Williams, the participation in London is not over either, as later in the week she will take to the court in the doubles tournament with her sister Venus Williams.
Source: WTA Tennis and BBC Sport