Tennis legend Serena Williams made a highly anticipated return to professional tennis at Wimbledon, but her comeback was cut short in a disappointing first-round defeat to Australia's Maya Joint.
Williams, a seven-time winner at the All England Club, was handed a favorable first-round match against Joint, who had struggled in recent matches. However, the 44-year-old was unable to recapture her former glory, falling 3-6 7-6 6-3 to the World No. 87.
Despite the loss, Williams received a standing ovation as she exited Centre Court, but she surprisingly opted to skip her post-match media duties, which could potentially have led to a hefty fine under the Grand Slam Rulebook.
However, the All England Club decided not to fine Williams, deeming her decision to be "reasonable" and citing her knee injury as a valid reason for missing the press conference.
Williams' agent explained that the tennis star had tweaked her knee at the end of the first set and was excused from her media obligations by the Wimbledon and WTA medical teams.
The 44-year-old now faces a race against time to be fit for her doubles match with Venus, which is scheduled to take place on Thursday against Solana Sierra and Camila Osorio.
Joint, on the other hand, was ecstatic after her victory, saying she was still in shock and didn't know what to say. The Australian tennis player will take on 29th seed Alexandra Eala in the second round.
