Le duo amère le retour de Serena Williams à Wimbledon

Pedro de Pablos | 30 Jun 2026 | 20.45

La blessure gâche le retour de Serena Williams à Wimbledon, Source : Getty Images.

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Maya Joint has dressed up as a villain to sour Serena Williams' return to individual competition at Wimbledon 2026 after nearly 4 years of inactivity. The female tennis GOAT faced it head-on and nearly achieved the epic, but ended up falling short losing by a score of 6-4 6-7(6) and 6-3 after 2 hours and 22 minutes of play.

The first thing to praise is Serena's determination and resilience, as despite trailing throughout the second set, she continued fighting at 44 years old and after a long period without playing. There's a reason she is the queen of the WTA circuit, giving meaning to her words a few days ago stating that she is not back just for a stroll. Once she gets into the groove, she can be a threat, although mobility will be her weak point, as expected. On the other hand, Joint managed the pressure of such a match and will face Alexandra Eala in the second round.

Serena Williams' major drawback in her return

The match started with both players very solid on serve. Serena kept firing cannons with both her first and second serves, and her groundstrokes were powerful, but it's also true that she had a clear limitation in her movements. As rallies extended, she stood at a disadvantage, unsurprisingly after 4 years of inactivity. However, it was Williams who had the first break points at 2-2, but couldn't convert them.

It was Joint who capitalized at 4-3. Serena saved the first one with a yell to the sky, but on the Australian's second chance, she forced Williams' error to lead 5-3 and serve. Still, the GOAT was producing some trademark points, showing competitiveness and resilience. However, Maya didn't hesitate to close it out, saved a deuce and finished the first set with a crosscourt forehand.

The second set didn't start well for Serena, as Joint secured an early break forcing the American to achieve a comeback on Wimbledon's Centre Court. Williams had a break point in the next game but struggled with her shots landing repeatedly at the net from the baseline, an unforgivable error at this level. She even had two more break points in the following return game but failed again. 0 for 5.

Serena Williams' epic effort to force a third set

Nevertheless, perseverance pays off... and Serena got another break chance at 2-3 after a remarkable passing shot on the run, and this time she succeeded with her trademark topspin forehand. Her mobility wasn't at its best, but she read Joint's shots better with each point and started dominating more from the baseline. However, just after achieving the reward she had been fighting for, she committed several consecutive errors and got broken again.

At that moment, when all seemed lost, Serena unleashed her best shots and continued with a series of breaks, breaking Maya once more to level at 4-4. Both held serve in the next games, but at 5-5, Serena had to face another 0-40. Nonetheless, this time she saved all three break points, including one that seemed nearly impossible to get back. The tiebreak ensued, prolonging the equality until 5-5 with Joint serving. Serena attempted a backhand return but missed, yet with a match point against her, she aced down the T and closed with a forehand. Another big serve gave her a set point advantage, forcing Joint's error on return to push the match to a third set. Centre Court was electrified.

Joint stages a comeback, and Serena falls short

In the third set, Serena Williams appeared much looser and more precise with her strokes. Incredible, considering the match had surpassed an hour and a half, and at 44 years old, she had been inactive for so long. However, in these situations, the heart reigns over the body, pushing her to break for a 2-1 lead and serve right from the start. Yet, Joint hadn't given her final word, and like Serena did in the second set, she quickly returned the favor to restore parity.

From then on, Serena faltered and made more mistakes than needed, perhaps due to the fatigue that had not emerged until that moment, and again, the Australian player secured her consecutive second break to reach 4-2 and serve. Serena didn't give up in the match, and there was even a hint of a comeback at 5-3 down with a break point when Maya double-faulted on match point. However, she turned it around and closed out the set 6-3. Hats off to her and hats off to Serena, who has returned to a high level despite all odds.

Cette actualité est une traduction automatique. Vous pouvez lire la nouvelle originale Joint amarga el regreso de Serena Williams en Wimbledon

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