Serena Williams weight loss was part of the conversation, but the match was the point. Williams returned at Wimbledon against Maya Joint and pushed through a tense contest that was still alive in the deciding set.
She had already worked herself into a 2-1 lead after breaking Joint, then the set tightened again when Joint broke back to make it 2-2. The scoreline showed a match that kept swinging rather than settling.
Williams, Joint, and Centre Court
The opening set had gone 3-6, then Williams forced a 7-6 response before the match moved into a third set. That path put her back in a live singles contest at Centre Court on day two, with the sort of pressure point that only comes when every hold starts to matter.
Venus was in the player’s box during the match, while Serena missed a regulation backhand and drew the line that fit the moment: "I think she’s allowed to miss a few after so long away." That miss did not end the contest, but it did show how thin the margin had become.
Maya Joint Stays Close
Joint did not let the lead stand for long. After Williams had edged ahead, the break back to 2-2 reset the final set and kept the match from slipping into a routine finish.
That is the practical takeaway for anyone tracking Williams’ return: she was not cruising, and Joint was not fading. The contest stayed on serve long enough to leave the outcome hanging in the excerpt, with Williams needing to solve one more set of pressure points if she wanted to finish the job.
Wawrinka and Berrettini on No 1 Court
The live coverage also tracked Wawrinka and Berrettini on No 1 Court, where Berrettini led by two sets to one and the pair were locked at 5-5 in the fourth set. It was another match with the same kind of late-set strain, but the main story stayed on Williams and her return to Wimbledon.
For Williams, the useful detail is simple: she was back on SW19 grass, she had already recovered from one break of serve, and she still had work to do after Joint answered at 2-2. The match had not finished in the excerpt, so the only safe read is the one on the board — a live third set, a narrow margin, and no room left for loose points.
