Serena Williams’ eagerly awaited Wimbledon singles run was short-lived, as her opponent Maya Joint prevailed in a tense first-round contest on Tuesday, June 30.
The nearly two-and-a-half-hour match on Center Court underscored Williams’ resilience and trademark grit as the 44-year-old played her first singles match in almost four years. The magnitude of the moment was evident as Joint struggled to process her victory, admitting during her on-court interview that she could scarcely believe what had happened.
Maya Joint Beats Serena Williams at Wimbledon
Williams and Joint, who is 24 years her junior, went toe-to-toe throughout the match, with the outcome ultimately hinging on who handled the key moments better. The young Australian struck first, breaking the 23-time Grand Slam singles champion in the eighth game of the opening set before serving it out.
The second set proved to be a rollercoaster. Joint raced to a 3-1 lead but was unable to maintain her advantage as Williams fought back to level the score. The pair then exchanged breaks in the seventh and eighth games before the set was decided in a tiebreak. Joint earned a match point but was denied by Williams, who rallied to claim the breaker and force a deciding set.
Serena Williams earned the first break of the deciding set, but Maya Joint turned the match around by breaking the American in back-to-back service games, sealing a 6-3, 6-7(6), 6-3 win. After the match, Joint said, “I really don’t know what to say right now. I don’t know what just happened, to be honest.”
The youngster then admitted she barely slept the night before, overwhelmed by the significance of the occasion. She also revealed she was extremely nervous when she stepped onto Centre Court.
“I didn’t get much sleep last night. I was up till 2 a.m. just thinking about it. Walking out, I forgot the warm-up. I don’t know what happened; my legs weren’t moving. I really don’t know how I got a pretty good start in the match. She has such an aura; she’s such a legend.”
“This court has so many huge names that have played on it. I’ve been dreaming about this moment since I was a little kid, so this is pretty crazy,” she added.
When asked about what difficulties she endured while playing against Williams, one of her idols, she said, “Just trying to come out on court and play a match against her. Just the start was very nerve-wracking and then trying to finish out the match as well. She definitely lifted her level. She played some really great tennis there.”
Joint arrived at Wimbledon with a disappointing 3-15 win-loss record for the season. Despite failing to win a single grass-court match and being unable to defend her Eastbourne title the previous week, the two-time WTA title winner said she was satisfied with her preparations for Wimbledon.
“My last couple of matches have been pretty good; I thought I was playing pretty well, and I was getting pretty competitive with them. Even though I didn’t win many matches, I still felt like I could win. I had the belief. I just took advantage of the moment and just enjoyed it. I didn’t really think about the previous matches I played.”
Joint faces a familiar rival in Alexandra Eala in the Wimbledon second round. The duo met in last year’s Eastbourne Open final, where Joint saved four championship points en route to the title.
Williams, meanwhile, shifts her focus to women’s doubles, where she is teaming up with her sister Venus. They face Camila Osorio and Solana Sierra in their first match.
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