Serena Williams Shares Thoughts On Her Wimbledon 2026 Appearance

Serena Williams made her return to singles play at Wimbledon, placing her back on the stage where she’s notched epic wins. While Serena Williams wasn’t triumphant on the Wimbledon grass, the legendary tennis star was pleased with her time on the court.

As reported by ESPN, Serena Williams, 44, took Centre Court at Wimbledon on Tuesday (June 30) to face Maya Joint, 20, who is an American-born Austrian player, in the first round. Joint won in three sets with the score at 6-3, 6-7 (6), 6-3. At the conclusion of the match, Williams shook Joint’s hand and greeted the crowd, who responded with measured applause.

Williams skipped speaking with the media after the match but gave a prepared statement illustrating her feelings about the return to singles play.

“It was really great to be back at Wimbledon,” Williams said. “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.”

Williams was added to the Wimbledon tournament as a wild card after sharing the news she would be returning to tennis in June. Her first match back was the HSBC Championships at Queen’s Club, playing doubles with Victoria Mboko and not her usual partner, big sister Venus.

As noted by the outlet, had Williams won the match, she would’ve been the second-oldest player to win a major singles match at Wimbledon since tennis legend Martina Navratilova did so in 2004 at 47.

On social media, fans of Serena Williams have reacted to her return to play as some anticipate what’s next for the highly decorated athlete. There is also the requisite criticism from fans towards Williams that has very little to do with tennis. We’ve got reactions from all sides.

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Photo: Getty