📂 Categoría: Tennis,Wimbledon | 📅 Fecha: 1782856468
🔍 En este artículo:
Serena Williams’ dream Wimbledon comeback was derailed by Maya Joint in a tight defeat on Centre Court.
The American tennis icon made her singles return at the age of 44 in front of a packed crowd under the roof to close out the action on Day Two, nearly four years after her emotional retirement at the 2022 US Open.
But any hopes of a fairy tale run at SW19 were snuffed out by Joint in the first round, the 20-year-old winning an epic, back-and-forth battle 6-3, 6-7 (6-8), 6-3.
Williams, who announced an astonishing tennis comeback on June 1 before securing a Wimbledon wildcard, becomes the second-oldest woman to compete in the main draw at the All England Club in the Open Era.
She proved she’s still an elite athlete at her tender age and had the Centre Court crowd behind her as she returned to SW19 in a bid to defy father time.
But there will be no dream singles run on grass for the greatest tennis player ever seen.
“I really don’t know what to say right now,” an emotional Joint admitted, after downing Williams.
“I don’t know what happened, to be honest. I didn’t get much sleep last night, I was up until 2am just thinking about (walking out).
“I forgot the warm-up, my legs weren’t working.”
Joint added that Williams, a player who she idolized, has ‘so much aura’ and that challenging her at Wimbledon was tough.
“The start was very nerve-wracking, and then trying to finish out the match as well, she definitely lifted her level.
“She played some great tennis.”
With defeat to Joint, Williams is win-less in Wimbledon singles action since 2019, and has lost in her last four appearances at the famous tournament.
But she came very close to a stunning comeback story.
Serena Williams falls just short in comeback bid
Joint took charge early and held serve well in the opening set as she went to battle with 23-time major champion Williams, who made her way out to a standing ovation from the Centre Court crowd.
After saving two break points in the first challenge to her serve, the Australian went on to capitalize and break her legendary opponent for a 5-3 lead.
She then closed out the first set, sealing the deal with a cross-court forehand winner that brought the crowd to their feet on her own Centre Court debut.
Amid all the talk around Williams’ return, Joint was able to weather the early pressure and put herself in position for a big win.
She made the perfect start to the second set, when a double fault from the seven-time Wimbledon Ladies singles’ champion opened the door for an early break.
Joint took what was offered, and held her next serve for a 2-0 lead.
But, this is Serena Williams on Centre Court, and the American icon soon battled back, breaking Joint to level the set at 3-3.
The two then exchanged breaks once more, and Williams held her nerve on the biggest stage to take a 5-4 lead in the second.
She took the set in a dramatic tie-breaker to send the match to a deciding third, as Joint wasted three break points and the chance to serve it out.
Williams held serve to open the deciding set, before breaking Joint to take the lead for the first time in the match.
But momentum then started to swing again, and two more breaks put Joint in a commanding third-set lead.
She kept her cool to go up 5-2, and went on to serve out the biggest win of her career.
The Centre Court crowd rose to their feet to applaud both women after close to two and a half hours of action, but it’s Joint who moves on to the second round.
Williams, meanwhile, will now prepare for doubles action alongside her sister, Venus.
Stay up to date on all things tennis across our talkSPORT platforms – subscribe to our YouTube channel for the latest news, opinion, exclusive interviews and our daily unfiltered, unscripted show ‘The S* Word, from 8am ET.
Serena Williams’ dream Wimbledon comeback was derailed by Maya Joint in a tight defeat on Centre Court.
The American tennis icon made her singles return at the age of 44 in front of a packed crowd under the roof to close out the action on Day Two, nearly four years after her emotional retirement at the 2022 US Open.
But any hopes of a fairy tale run at SW19 were snuffed out by Joint in the first round, the 20-year-old winning an epic, back-and-forth battle 6-3, 6-7 (6-8), 6-3.
Williams, who announced an astonishing tennis comeback on June 1 before securing a Wimbledon wildcard, becomes the second-oldest woman to compete in the main draw at the All England Club in the Open Era.
She proved she’s still an elite athlete at her tender age and had the Centre Court crowd behind her as she returned to SW19 in a bid to defy father time.
But there will be no dream singles run on grass for the greatest tennis player ever seen.
“I really don’t know what to say right now,” an emotional Joint admitted, after downing Williams.
“I don’t know what happened, to be honest. I didn’t get much sleep last night, I was up until 2am just thinking about (walking out).
“I forgot the warm-up, my legs weren’t working.”
Joint added that Williams, a player who she idolized, has ‘so much aura’ and that challenging her at Wimbledon was tough.
“The start was very nerve-wracking, and then trying to finish out the match as well, she definitely lifted her level.
“She played some great tennis.”
With defeat to Joint, Williams is win-less in Wimbledon singles action since 2019, and has lost in her last four appearances at the famous tournament.
But she came very close to a stunning comeback story.
Serena Williams falls just short in comeback bid
Joint took charge early and held serve well in the opening set as she went to battle with 23-time major champion Williams, who made her way out to a standing ovation from the Centre Court crowd.
After saving two break points in the first challenge to her serve, the Australian went on to capitalize and break her legendary opponent for a 5-3 lead.
She then closed out the first set, sealing the deal with a cross-court forehand winner that brought the crowd to their feet on her own Centre Court debut.
Amid all the talk around Williams’ return, Joint was able to weather the early pressure and put herself in position for a big win.
She made the perfect start to the second set, when a double fault from the seven-time Wimbledon Ladies singles’ champion opened the door for an early break.
Joint took what was offered, and held her next serve for a 2-0 lead.
But, this is Serena Williams on Centre Court, and the American icon soon battled back, breaking Joint to level the set at 3-3.
The two then exchanged breaks once more, and Williams held her nerve on the biggest stage to take a 5-4 lead in the second.
She took the set in a dramatic tie-breaker to send the match to a deciding third, as Joint wasted three break points and the chance to serve it out.
Williams held serve to open the deciding set, before breaking Joint to take the lead for the first time in the match.
But momentum then started to swing again, and two more breaks put Joint in a commanding third-set lead.
She kept her cool to go up 5-2, and went on to serve out the biggest win of her career.
The Centre Court crowd rose to their feet to applaud both women after close to two and a half hours of action, but it’s Joint who moves on to the second round.
Williams, meanwhile, will now prepare for doubles action alongside her sister, Venus.
Stay up to date on all things tennis across our talkSPORT platforms – subscribe to our YouTube channel for the latest news, opinion, exclusive interviews and our daily unfiltered, unscripted show ‘The S* Word, from 8am ET.
💡 Puntos Clave
- Este artículo cubre aspectos importantes sobre Tennis,Wimbledon
- Información verificada y traducida de fuente confiable
- Contenido actualizado y relevante para nuestra audiencia
📚 Información de la Fuente
| 📰 Publicación: | talksport.com |
| ✍️ Autor: | Oliver Browning |
| 📅 Fecha Original: | 2026-06-30 21:04:00 |
| 🔗 Enlace: | Ver artículo original |
Nota de transparencia: Este artículo ha sido traducido y adaptado del inglés al español para facilitar su comprensión. El contenido se mantiene fiel a la fuente original, disponible en el enlace proporcionado arriba.
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