Serena Williams is back. The 44-year-old walks onto the Wimbledon grass on Tuesday, June 30, to face 20-year-old Australian Maya Joint in the first round of the women’s singles — her first Grand Slam singles match in four years.
Williams last played a Grand Slam singles match at the 2022 US Open, where she announced she was stepping away from tennis. Since then, she has had two children and built business interests outside the sport. The All England Club granted her a wild card entry for 2026, setting the stage for one of the more unusual returns in recent tennis history.
What Williams Is Walking Into
Joint is 20 years old and has limited Grand Slam experience. She reached the second round at the 2024 US Open. She began competing professionally in 2021 at age 14. On paper, the opening match looks manageable for Williams. But the question has never really been about Maya Joint.
Williams last competed on the WTA Tour seriously in 2022. She turns 45 in September. She has not played competitive singles at a major in four years, and she is entering a draw that includes women who were teenagers when she last won a Grand Slam. Novak Djokovic praised her return during Wimbledon’s pre-tournament media day, saying he found her comeback inspiring.
A Career That Changed the Sport
Williams has won seven Wimbledon singles titles, the most recent in 2016. She won 23 Grand Slam singles titles in total, a record in the Open Era. She reached the Australian Open final in 2017 while eight weeks pregnant, then came back from a near-fatal childbirth experience to reach four more Grand Slam finals before stepping away.
Her return is not framed as a title attempt. Williams has said publicly she is approaching the tournament match by match. She is competing in both singles and doubles at Wimbledon this year, with doubles alongside her sister Venus.
The Draw and What Comes Next
Should Williams get past Joint, her path could become considerably harder. The women’s draw features defending champion Aryna Sabalenka, Roland Garros champion Mirra Andreeva, Coco Gauff, and former Wimbledon champion Iga Swiatek. Swiatek and Williams are in the same section of the draw, which means a potential second-round clash if both advance.
Williams vs. Joint is scheduled for Tuesday, June 30. It will be the first Wimbledon singles match Williams has played since her third-round exit in 2021.
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