CENTRE COURT — The year is 2026 and Serena Williams is playing singles tennis, 28 years on from her grand slam debut and four years after she “evolved away” from the sport.
Why? Not even the 44-year-old could fully explain it, but two reasons were in her player’s box on Centre Court, daughters Olympia and Adira watching their mother on a stage where she has lifted the Venus Rosewater Dish seven times.
On Tuesday night, Olympia and Adira witnessed Williams get a hero’s welcome, her return comfortably the blockbuster occasion of this opening week at Wimbledon.
They witnessed some trademark Serena moments: a 121mph ace, powerful winners, and roars that told you she cares.
But they could not witness what would have been a remarkable victory, the American digging deep to save a match point and force a decider but ultimately losing in her first singles match since the 2022 US Open to Australia’s Maya Joint, 6-3 6-7 6-3.
