(June 30, 2026) Twenty-three-time major champion Serena Williams came up short in her singles comeback on Tuesday at Wimbledon in SW London. The 44-year-old American lost to world No. 87 Maya Joint 6-3, 6-7(6), 6-3 in two hours and 22 minutes. The 20-year-old Joint was born in America but represents Australia.
Williams’ last singles tennis match came at the U.S. Open in 2022, when she lost in the third round.
Joint surprised herself by fulfilling a dream with the wins. “I don’t know what just happened, to be honest,” Joint said after the match. “I didn’t get much sleep last night. I was up until like 2 a.m. just thinking about it.
“She has such an aura, she’s just a legend and this court has so many huge names that have played on it,” Joint said. “I’ve been dreaming about this moment since I was a little kid, so this is pretty crazy.”
The victory snapped an 11-match tour-level losing streak for the Aussie.
“I always dreamed about playing Serena Williams, and if you’d told me 10 years ago that I’d be playing her first round at Wimbledon, that’s just crazy,” Joint said during media day on Sunday.
“I have so much respect for her, and she was one of my idols growing up. I’m just really excited to have the opportunity to play against her.”
The seven-time Wimbledon singles winner did not do a news conference after her loss but issued a written statement to the media:
“It was really great to be back at Wimbledon. I never expected to be here. The atmosphere was amazing. Walking out was amazing. I definitely relished it and missed it and enjoyed the moment more than anything.”
Williams is out of the singles but will be playing in Women’s Doubles with her sister Venus beginning on Thursday.
The Australian will now face No.29 seed Alexandra Eala in the second round.
