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Serena Williams fought hard but ultimately lost in her first singles match since 2022 on Tuesday at Wimbledon, losing to 20-year-old Australian Maya Joint, 6-3, 6-7 (6), 6-3, in the first round on Center Court.
There is a common axiom in sports that “Father Time is undefeated” and that proved true in London on Tuesday night.
Williams, 44, had not played a single match since the 2022 US Open, when she lost to Ajla Tomljanovic in the third round in what many thought would be the final match of her legendary career.
Instead, almost four years later, she returned to the pitch at the All England Club.
Serena Williams lost to Australian Maya Joint, 20, in the first round at Wimbledon in her first singles match since the 2022 US Open. (Robert Prangé/Getty Images)
And not just any court.
Central ground.
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The same court where Williams won seven of her 23 Grand Slam singles titles, an Olympic gold medal and was responsible for some of the most defining moments of the modern women’s tennis era.
This one, obviously, was different.
Williams entered Wimbledon as a wild card and with far more questions than expectations.
How much tennis did she still have in her legs?
Could his serve still get him through pressure games?
Could one of the greatest competitors in sports history summon enough of the old Serena to make it more than a ceremonial return?
For a moment, the answer seemed complicated.
Joint, the 87th player in the world, prevailed and won the first set 6-3. Once the set got to 3-3, with each player holding each of her first three serves, Joint won the next three games, breaking Serena once to win the first set.
It’s a reminder that nostalgia doesn’t win tennis matches, especially at Wimbledon, where the grass can punish even small lapses in movement and timing.
Serena Williams reacts during her match against Maya Joint during their first round match of the 2026 Wimbledon Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club. (Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
But Williams fought back in the second set.
Despite being broken in the first game and losing 3-1, Williams ultimately forced a tiebreak. The 20-year-old Australian had a match point with a 6-5 lead in the tiebreak, but Williams won the next three points to level the match.
Williams came out strong in the third set, earning the first break to take a 2-1 lead. But that’s when Williams’ age started to become a bigger factor.
Her daughters, Olympia and Adira, were in attendance, as well as her husband Alexis Ohanian and her sister Venus Williams. Venus is also expected to team up with Serena in doubles at Wimbledon, giving the tournament another moment for the Williams sisters after years of uncertainty over whether fans would ever see that again.
Williams has spent most of the past four years away from the tour after declaring in 2022 that she was “stepping away” from tennis. However, she never completely closed the door.
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She won the Wimbledon singles titles in 2002, 2003, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2015 and 2016. She reached four other finals at Wimbledon. She and Venus also built one of the greatest doubles partnerships in tennis history, including six women’s doubles titles at Wimbledon.
So when Williams accepted a wild card into the singles draw, it immediately became one of the biggest stories of the tournament.
This is Serena’s power.
Serena Williams celebrates after winning a point against Maya Joint during their women’s first round match at the Wimbledon Championships. (Henry Nicholls/AFP via Getty Images)
Even after nearly four years without a singles match, even at age 44, even without any real evidence that she could compete at a Grand Slam again, her presence changed the mood of the draw.
Unfortunately for Williams, she didn’t get a storybook result on Tuesday, but this was never going to be judged as an ordinary first-round loss.
Not really.
Yes, Williams is out of the singles draw after losing to a woman less than half her age. But the fact that she even went to court is a story in itself.
Now comes the obvious question.
Was it just a one-off event at Wimbledon, or was it the first step towards a new tour in New York?
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The US Open main draw begins on August 30, and if Williams wants another singles swing this summer, Flushing Meadows would be the obvious place to do it. This is where she played her last singles match before this return. This is where American tennis fans thought they would say goodbye to him in 2022.
Maybe they did.
Maybe not.
Regardless, Serena Williams taking the court at a Grand Slam tournament is good for tennis, especially in the United States.
And if Tuesday was any indication, a lot of people would be showing up to see her try again.
