Serena Williams gets Centre Court for Wimbledon return in 1st round match vs Maya Joint

News > Sports News

Serena Williams of the U.S. reacts during a practice session, ahead of the Wimbledon Tennis Championships, at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, in London, Saturday June 27, 2026. (John Walton/PA via AP)

FILE - Maya Joint, of Australia, serves to Amanda Anisimova, of the United States, during the second round of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Aug. 28, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger, File) — Serena Williams of the U.S. reacts during a practice session, ahead of the Wimbledon Tennis Championships, at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, in London, Saturday June 27, 2026. (John Walton/PA via AP)

Audio By Carbonatix

5:51 AM on Sunday, June 28

The Associated Press

LONDON (AP) — Where else would she play?

Wimbledon has confirmed that Serena Williams' first match at the grass-court Grand Slam since 2022 will take place on Centre Court on Tuesday evening.

The 44-year-old Williams, a seven-time Wimbledon champion making a tennis comeback, will face 20-year-old Maya Joint of Australia.

The All England Club on Sunday announced the order of play for Day 2.

Defending champion Iga Swiatek opens play on Centre Court on Tuesday (1:30 p.m. local time), in keeping with tradition, against Taylor Townsend. That's to be followed by Taylor Fritz vs. home favorite Jack Draper — in what is one of the most intriguing men's first-round matchups. And then Williams-Joint.

Williams had been away from the sport since her farewell at the 2022 U.S. Open but she accepted a wild-card entry to play both singles and doubles — with her sister Venus, who is 46.

Williams’ most-recent appearance at Wimbledon was in 2022 when she lost in the opening round to Harmony Tan, who was then-ranked 115th. The American great walked away from tennis — she described it as “evolving” away — after losing in the third round to Ajla Tomljanovic at Flushing Meadows.

Michigan-born Joint slipped from No. 53 to No. 87 in the WTA rankings updated on Sunday.

___

AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis