Andy Roddick has weighed in on Serena Williams' shocking first-round defeat at Wimbledon, calling it a 'good' loss for fans and predicting her return to singles action at the US Open.
Williams, 44, was beaten in three sets by 20-year-old Maya Joint in her first singles game in over four years, with the 23-time Grand Slam champion struggling to find her rhythm throughout the match.
Roddick, a fellow American tennis legend, believes Williams will be motivated to improve after her defeat and is likely to ask for a wildcard to play at the US Open.
'You know what I kept thinking during the match? I kept thinking how f*g stupid I would look if I went out on Centre Court at Wimbledon to play my first match in four years,' Roddick said.
'What I’m hearing by the way is that it was not her plan to play singles here. I thought it could have been but from what I’m hearing she wasn’t dialled in for this from the outset, I don’t know if she knew she would play singles two weeks ago.
'Here’s what I think… I think we will see her again on a singles court, for sure. I think she will be thinking that she almost won a match at Wimbledon again and there’s a lot I can improve on.'
Williams missed her mandatory post-match press conference after exiting Wimbledon, with officials instead providing a brief statement from the seven-time champion.
'It was really great to be back at Wimbledon,' she 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.'
Roddick praised Williams for her attitude, saying 'I kind of love that she still cares enough to be salty about press.'
The Williams sisters are set to compete in Wimbledon doubles action on Thursday, while Joint will face world number 32 Alexandra Eala in the second round.
'I didn’t get much sleep last night, I was up until 2am just thinking about it,' Joint said in her on-court interview. 'Walking out, I forgot the warm-up, my legs weren’t moving. I really don’t know what to say right now. I don’t know what just happened.'
This defeat has sparked debate among fans and pundits, with some criticizing Williams for missing her post-match press conference, but Roddick believes it was a necessary step for her to take time to reflect on her game.
