Wimbledon —
Serena Williams lost in her return to singles tennis 6-3, 6-7(6), 6-3 against Maya Joint of Australia in a thrilling match in front of an at times raucous crowd on Wimbledon’s Centre Court.
In what was her first singles match since losing to Ajla Tomljanović at the 2022 US Open, Williams drew a standing ovation on her entrance to the court before proceeding to show some flashes of the greatest women’s tennis player of all time’s peak – no mean feat after over three-and-a-half years away from the professional game.
The Wimbledon crowd cheered the tennis icon all match, with people of all ages – including some no more than three or four years old – yelling, “Come on, Serena!” “Let’s go, Serena!” and “We love you, Serena!” during the two-hour, 22-minute contest.
Williams dropped the first game to the 20-year-old Australian before bouncing back in the second. The match stayed on serve until the seven-time Wimbledon singles champion was broken in the eighth game before Joint closed out the first set 6-3.
