Serena Williams defeated by Maya Joint, refuses to attend press conference after return to tennis fails, scores, video, results

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And as she gathered momentum in the second set, there were several extraordinary examples of Serena at her very best.

Despite the immense interest her comeback has generated, the oldest ever world No.1 was not on hand to discuss her comeback after the match, with Wimbledon stating near 11pm “unfortunately Serena Williams will not be able to undertake media this evening”.

In a provided quote she said: “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.”

Typically a player would be fined for skipping media, though an explanation emerged on Wednesday night (AEST) with The Times’ Tom Kershaw reporting Williams had injured her knee.

Williams “left the All England Club unassisted” though “crutches were brought” to her locker room.

“Serena tweaked her knee at the end of the first set and was therefore excused from her media obligations by the Wimbledon and WTA medical teams,” her agent Jill Smoller said.

“She left site that night unaided and is doing everything she can to be ready for her doubles match.”

She is attempting to return to the court with sister Venus in doubles.

The All England Club did wait for a week as Williams pondered whether to request a wildcard and was disappointed.

The decision and her brief handshake with Joint, along with the lack of acknowledgement for the young Aussie, drew criticism from some of the world’s leading tennis journalists and also some fans.

Code Sports’ Daniel Cherny wrote in an opinion piece Williams is “among the worst losers in the history of professional sport”.

This refusal is a minor offence when compared to her abuse of an official during her loss to Sam Stosur in the 2011 US Open final, or the manner with which she berated the umpire when beaten by Naomi Osaka in the final in New York in 2018.

“Williams’ comeback was among the most talked-about in history,” he wrote.

“There was enormous public interest in how she fared, and she owed it to those following the sport to front up for 10 minutes to talk through the match, her feelings and her next steps. But not for the first time, Williams sent a message that she is above the rules.”

The furore that unfolded afterwards should not detract from what was a fascinating encounter for world tennis fans given the return of Williams, but also for Aussies as a gauge to the prospects of Joint now and in the future.

And falling to Joint, who showed significant promise last year before struggling this year in part due to a back complaint, is far from a disgrace, particularly as it was Williams first match since a loss to Ajla Tomljanovic at the US Open in 2022.

The initial rustiness, from the struggles with her footwork at time to double faults and unforced errors at different stages, is also understandable. She looked sharper and sharper as the match progressed towards two hours before hitting the wall.

But Joint had won just one of her previous 14 matches this year, was on debut on Centre Court and is ranked 87.

It was difficult for her too and she later said that she struggled to sleep last night as she contemplated the moment ahead of her.

“I didn’t get much sleep last night. I was up to about 2am last night just thinking about it,” she said.

“She is such an aura. Such a legend. But I have been dreaming about this moment since I was a little kid, so this is pretty crazy.”

No matter how uncertain Williams was as to whether she was ready enough to accept a wildcard, she is a competitor and will rue allowing her 20-year-old rival off the hook at crucial stages in the first and second set, for victory was within reach.

Should Williams continue on to the North American summer, she will naturally improve in most elements. But the opposition will get no easier and will undoubtedly relish the chance to take down an all-time icon. It will be fascinating to watch it unfold.

How the match unfolded

Dressed in all-white, Williams presented powerfully and athletically. Her match fitness, which includes her court coverage and also ability to make balls under pressure when moving, was a source of intrigue. But at least she looked ready for her return.

With her husband Alexis Ohanian and daughters Olympia and Adira courtside, the players received a standing ovation when walking onto Centre Court at 7.26pm, with scarcely a seat empty despite the two lengthy matches that preceded the encounter.

If there were any doubts as to who the crowd would be supporting – and that was about the only certainty surrounding the match – they were dispelled when a fan bellowed “Let’s go Serena” to fanfare as the players were awaiting the coin toss.

As the 44-year-old jogged back to the baseline to a return position in the deuce court for the opening point, the crowd roared with a volume usually the domain of a grand slam final, and that was unusual for the typically reserved crowd at Wimbledon.

Despite another beautiful day for tennis, the match was played under the roof given its late start, and it was a good decision as the encounter extended towards 10pm.

Joint later said she could not move her legs in the warm up, such was the nervousness she felt, but that did not translate into her start. And if Williams was nervous, she was too experienced to show it.

Williams first groundstroke in singles in almost four years was a sweetly timed backhand return that landed near the baseline and drew an error from the Michigan-raised Aussie, whose dad Michael is a former squash pro who hails from Melbourne.

The American erred with a backhand volley on the next point before Joint worked her way through what had to be a nervous opening with some pure backhands of her own.

A seven-time champion on the most revered court in tennis, Williams opened with a service game that was a throwback to her best. A well-weighted backhand lob clinched the first point and a thunderous first serve the second as she held to love.

The 20-year-old Aussie survived her first real challenge when saving two break points at 2-all with some crisp ball striking. This provided an early indication that for all the work Williams has done, she is still short of peak form, for she was a half-step slow on the first opportunity to a ball that skidded low and wrong-footed on the next which opened the court to the Aussie.

Joint, to her credit, thumped a blazing forehand amid a strong of winners late in the game to keep her nose ahead but she was yet to threaten the iconic Williams serve, arguably the best ever seen in women’s tennis given its pace and precision.

Her first chance came exactly 30 minutes into the match, but Joint was unable to handle a 181km/h bullet down the T, with the legend roaring with defiance after saving the break point. But a double-fault gifted Joint another chance and she took it.

A deep return had her rival on the back foot and enabled the Aussie, who has a superb backhand, with whip a shot to that wing which proved too much for the American, who served two double-faults in the game, to handle.

The set was not yet won though and among the many legendary traits of Williams is her mental craft. She scorched a forehand winner on return on the first point and screamed again in defiance before making Joint wait for an extended time.

But her resolve held. Even an overhit forehand on her first set point did not rattle her, with the Aussie backing up two points later to club an almost identical opportunity for a winner, which drew applause from the all-time great.

The GOAT strikes back in the second

Joint furthered her momentum at the start of the second set when saving two game points before thumping another backhand winner that left the wonder from Compton looking somewhat resigned.

But Serena is a champion for more than her extraordinary athleticism, with a refusal to believe she is beaten among the many world-best traits she has mastered in a career now extending into a fourth decade.

Against the trend of play midway through the second set, the wildcard played a return game that reminded all in attendance of her greatness, with her inspired stroke play drawing a rousing reception as she broke Joint for the first time to level at 3-all.

The reprieve appeared momentary. Joint broke her straight back with some ripping tennis of her own. But then Williams was able to retrieve the break immediately, her brain as much as her brawn a factor and played with guile and gusto.

When she held serve to edge ahead 5-4 in the second set at 8.51pm, the crowd applauded loudly, hoping a deciding set would be needed. Joint started her service game with a shanked forehand but was able to find her range again on serve to level.

The tension was evident in both players with Williams serving at 5-all. The American erred and looked unbalanced as she slumped to 0-40, only for the Aussie to squander those chances and then another when in control of the point.

The tiebreaker played out similarly to the return at large. Serena thumped winners, with a forehand down the line that put her ahead 3-2 drawing widespread applause. But she followed with two unforced errors from the same wing.

An ace slicing wide to the forehand corner – always a mighty weapon – put her to 5-4 and within two points of forcing a decider. The weapon enabled her to save her first match point at 5-6, with a slider down the T setting up a forehand winner.

And when the legend showed patience and resilience in an extended rally to draw an error from the Aussie and square the encounter, the crowd roared as though she had just clinched an eighth Wimbledon title.

This was stirring stuff and for the 100th time in her career in a grand slam, Williams was into a deciding set.

Aussie grit

Joint had moments where she looked anxious late in the second set, which is not surprising given the occasion. She overplayed her hand in the infancy of the third set when dropping serve to fall behind 1-2 after overhitting two forehands in succession.

But Williams was not immune to the pressure of the occasion either and, when looking to have a crucial point in hand that would have extended her lead to 3-1, squealed in frustration after over-hitting a backhand to an open court.

Joint, who won WTA titles on clay and grass last year prior to struggling with injury and for form this season, was able to make the most of the reprieve to reel off four games in succession and move to a 5-2 lead. Williams held to make her serve it out.

Would there be another twist in this rollicking clash? Williams whipped returns. Joint nailed an ace. At 30-all she thumped a flat serve down the middle and got the reward of a second match point. A double-fault was the result as the nerves showed.

But it proved a case of third time lucky when Joint, after serving an ace out wide, drew an error from the Williams return.

Commentator John McEnroe described the arena as being in “stunned silence” as Joint claimed victory, though that is an overreach, for the most generous of applause was afforded to both the victor and vanquished.

It was a massive triumph for Joint. But few would argue it was not a triumph for Williams as well, even in defeat. And as the Queen waved goodbye to the court, it was hard to imagine she will not be back again.