Wimbledon 2026 results: Serena Williams shows flashes of form but fades in May

Serena Williams walks out onto Center Court at Wimbledon, closes her eyes, takes a deep breath and smiles at the applause she receives.

In the year As she resumes her tennis career in 2022, Williams says she has nothing to prove.

But no one was sure what to expect when the 44-year-old faced Australian Maya Joynt in her first singles match in four years on Tuesday night.

There would have been little relief when Williams won her first point for 1,462 days at SW19 – an unforced error following a huge serve return from the American.

The game is over He won 6-3 6-7 (6-8) 6-3 on aggregate. He started strong, withstood a second-set dip, and regrouped impressively in the third.

The competitive nature that propelled Williams to 23 Grand Slam titles meant she was not satisfied with the result. She said she often hates losing more than she likes winning.

And this wine was not Williams. She played better as the match went on before losing in the third set. But there were glimpses of the player who dominated the WTA Tour for more than two decades.

Former Wimbledon champion Pat Cash told BBC Radio 5 Live: “I was a bit nervous and very excited about what was going to happen in this match.

“What we saw was two people playing very good tennis and Maya was able to control Serena’s pace.

“Serena has played at an incredible level. If she wants to play this way and play more tennis, she will be a real handful.”

“Serena is playing better now than she did at the end (of her career) four years ago.”