Serena Williams’ return to singles action at Wimbledon last night was as magical as many imagined it would be, but sadly lacked the fairytale ending many were craving.
Instead, despite leading by a break in that deciding third set, it was Maya Joint who eventually closed out the win, as the error count rose for the legendary American.
She departed Centre Court to a well-earned celebration of her talent and grit, having thoroughly justified her wildcard spot even in defeat.
However, what she did straight after the match has not gone down well among journalists and fans alike.
Serena Williams cancelled her press conference, thus depriving the tennis world of more insight into her first singles match in four years.
Serena Williams under fire for cancelling her Wimbledon press conference
Instead of heading to the press room to chat to the media, the 44-year-old offered a pitiful statement which read: “It was really great to be back at Wimbledon. 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.”
This provided nothing for the journalists who would have been desperate to get a comment from the 23-time Grand Slam champion.
Many have not held back in their reaction to this decision, with one fan writing: “Impressed at how hard @serenawilliams fought tonight. Not impressed that she refused to do her obligatory media conference. Having been given a wildcard by @Wimbledon, that’s not on.”
Another, rather sarcastically, added: “Great ambassador for the sport though. What a joke.”
Joint was stunned as she reacted afterwards, unsurprisingly, both on-court and in press.
Did Serena Williams deserve her Wimbledon wildcard?
Following on from this first-round defeat, many have questioned whether Williams was deserving of this Wimbledon singles wildcard.
After all, some argue that the spot could have been reserved for a lesser-known prodigy in need of their big break. This could have provided that spark.
What did you make of Serena Williams’ level on her return to singles?
Serena Williams is OUT of the Wimbledon singles event…
However, on the other hand, there’s no denying Williams’ star power.
She packed out Centre Court on her own last night, and despite her decision to opt out of media duties, which is worthy of criticism, it was enthralling and intriguing to watch her play again.
She more than held her own, albeit against a wildly out-of-form opponent, and has raised far more questions than it answered.
This is the beauty of it though, and why many hope she will continue to play singles in the coming months to hopefully be ready to perform to an even higher standard at the US Open.
