Sports21 June, 20262 min read
Serena Williams Loses First Round At Wimbledon As Maya Joint Advances
Returned to Wimbledon singles after nearly four-year hiatus; entered via wildcard. Lost to Maya Joint in three sets in the first round.
Serena’s Wimbledon return
Serena Williams lost in the first round of her comeback at Wimbledon on Tuesday as Maya Joint advanced by winning 6-3, 6-7, 6-3.
“Serena Williams lost in the first round of her comeback at Wimbledon on Tuesday as Maya Joint advanced by winning 6-3, 6-7, 6-3.”
NBC News said the match was Williams’ return to singles at 44 years old, with applause following her as she crossed the hallways of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club to Center Court.
The BBC reported that, 1,462 days after her last point at the All England Club, Williams saved a match point and forced a deciding set before Joint held firm to claim a 6-3 6-7 (6-8) 6-3 win.
Joint described the moment in her on-court interview, saying, "I really don't know what to say right now. I don't know what just happened."
The BBC added that Williams did not carry out a mandatory post-match news conference and instead released a statement saying, "It was really great to be back at Wimbledon."
Joint’s quotes and drama
The BBC said Joint held firm to claim the win after Williams responded to Joint’s first match point with a blistering forehand winner and a 120mph serve. In her on-court interview, Joint told the BBC, "I didn't get much sleep last night, I was up until 2am just thinking about it," and also said, "Walking out, I forgot the warm-up, my legs weren't moving." The Guardian’s Wimbledon 2026 live blog described Williams’ singles campaign ending in the first round and said she lost five of the last six games after being up 2-1 in the final set.
The Guardian also quoted Wawrinka on his Wimbledon farewell, saying, "I don't want to retire but I know it's time," while the blog noted Serena Williams and Wawrinka bowing out. NBC News reported that Williams’ 2-year-old daughter was held by her husband, Alexis Ohanian, and that Venus Williams was there as well.
What happens next
After the singles loss, the BBC said the Williams sisters will be back in action later this week when they team up in the doubles. The BBC reported that Serena and Venus will face Camila Osorio and Solana Sierra in the first round. NBC News said Williams will partner with Venus for doubles through an invitation, and that the pair have 14 major doubles titles, including six at Wimbledon.
“The Williams sisters will be back in action later this week when they team up in the doubles.”
NBC News also noted that Williams made her official comeback to the tour this month, joining Canadian Victoria Mboko at the HSBC Championships for doubles, where they exited in the second after Mboko was injured. The Guardian’s live blog framed the day’s results as including first-round wins for Iga Swiatek, Alexander Zverev and Elena Rybakina, while it listed exits for Ben Shelton and Elina Svitolina alongside Serena Williams and Stan Wawrinka.