Serena Williams' return to Wimbledon was full of emotion, dedication and nostalgia. The American, winner of 23 Grand Slam titles and seven-time champion of the London tournament, fell in three sets against the Australian Maya Joint, who won 6-3, 6-7 (6) and 6-3 after two hours and 24 minutes of intense battle.

In a completely full Center Court, the former world number one returned to compete at Wimbledon for the first time since 2022 and left glimpses of the tennis that made her one of the greatest figures in the sport. Although she could not advance to the round, she forced the young Australian to offer her best version to win.

Serena Williams competed at her best on her return to Wimbledon

Thanks to an invitation from the organization, Serena Williams returned to the Center Court of the All England Club after more than 1,400 days of absence.

The American started the match with determination and generated two break chances in the fifth game of the first set, although she was unable to capitalize on them. On the other side of the net, Maya Joint responded with personality, sustained her turns of service and took advantage of the inaccuracies of the American, who barely registered 57% effectiveness with the first serve during the opening set.

The Australian got the break in the eighth game and confirmed the advantage to take the first set 6-3.

Maya Joint resisted Serena's reaction

The second set started uphill for Serena Williams, who lost her first serve and allowed Maya Joint to take the initiative again.

The American reacted and sought to equalize the score, but the Australian responded with authority in the moments of greatest pressure. Still, the seven-time Wimbledon champion found the break she needed to stay in the fight, although she couldn't immediately consolidate it with her serve.

With the score 4-3 against, Serena Williams recovered again and starred in one of the highlights of the match by saving four break point opportunities in the tenth game, despite committing two consecutive double faults, to stay alive and take the finish to the tie-break.

In sudden death, the American raised her level considerably, saved a match point and ended up forcing a third set to the applause of the fans.

Physical exhaustion marked the outcome

The emotional momentum seemed to favor Serena Williams at the beginning of the final set. The American broke Maya Joint's serve in the third game and took the lead, but was unable to sustain it.

From that moment on, the physical wear and tear began to be reflected in the former world number one. The Australian took advantage of the decrease in her rival's intensity, won four consecutive games and led the way to victory until closing the match with her serve on the second match point.

A farewell to applause at the All England Club

Beyond the result, the return of Serena Williams left one of the most emotional postcards of Wimbledon. At the end of the match, Center Court said goodbye to the American with a long ovation in recognition of a career that made her one of the great figures of tennis.

Although the player herself has not confirmed that this is her last participation in the London tournament, the scene fueled the possibility that this was her farewell to the All England Club, where she won seven of the 23 Grand Slam titles that marked her career.