Serena Williams has issued a statement following her return to the Centre Court at Wimbledon, where she fell to defeat in her opening match. The 44-year-old couldn’t undertake her post-match press obligations, though no explanation has been provided.
She has instead issued a statement, which read: “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.”
Williams was met with a thunderous roar from the crowd as both players walked out onto the court. It marked the American’s first Grand Slam match in four years, after coming out of retirement.
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Williams suffered a three-set defeat against 20-year-old Australian Maya Joint. She dropped the first set 6-3 and appeared to be heading for a straight-sets loss, having had her serve broken twice in the second set, but the 23-time Grand Slam champion battled back to clinch the set in a tiebreaker.
However, it was Joint who took control in the third and deciding set, taking it 6-3 to seal the match and advance to the second round of Wimbledon for the very first time.
Speaking on court following her win, Joint was visibly shell-shocked. “I don’t know what just happened,” she said.
“I didn’t get much sleep last night. I was up to 2am thinking about it.
View 2 ImagesSerena Williams was back in action at Wimbledon. (Image: Cameron Spencer, Getty Images)
“Walking out, I forgot the warm-up, I don’t know what happened. My legs weren’t moving.
“I got a pretty good start in the match. She has such an aura, she is such a legend.
“So many huge names have played on this court. I have been dreaming of this moment since I was a little kid, so this is pretty crazy.
“I tried to come out to this court and play a match against her – the start was very nerve-wracking and to finish it off was special. She lifted her level and played some really great tennis.”
Williams will next take to the court alongside her elder sister Venus in the doubles competition. The duo go up against Solana Sierra and Camila Osorio in the opening round of the tournament on Thursday.
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