London [UK], July 1 : Tennis legend and 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams expressed happiness after returning to Wimbledon despite defeat, saying that she felt happy to have her daughters see that "it is never too late to chase something you love".
Williams suffered a defeat to Maya Joint in her much-anticipated Wimbledon return after a four-year absence, following an epic Centre Court battle. The 23-time Grand Slam champion, who recently announced her comeback at the age of 44, showed moments of brilliance against the 20-year-old Australian and saved a match point in the second set to force a decider. However, she eventually ran out of steam, going down 6-3, 6-7 (6-8), 6-3.
In her Instagram post, she revealed having tweaked her knee in the first set and vowed to do everything to stay ready for doubles with long-time partner Venus Williams.
Taking to Instagram, she wrote, "It felt so good to be back on the grass at @wimbledon. I'm incredibly thankful for the wild card - and even more grateful my daughters got to see that it's never too late to chase something you love. I tweaked my knee late in the first set, but I'll be doing everything I can to be ready for doubles with @venuswilliams. Congratulations to @maya.joint on a great match, and thank you to everyone who showed up and showed me so much love. That feeling will never get old."
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Wimbledon confirmed the development through an Instagram post, announcing the seven-time singles champion's return to the All England Club.
The wildcard entry marks Williams' first appearance in the women's singles draw at Wimbledon in four years and came shortly after she had already secured a return to the Championships through a doubles wildcard alongside her sister, Venus Williams.
The 44-year-old, regarded as one of the greatest players in tennis history, stepped away from professional tennis following the 2022 US Open. However, she returned to competitive action earlier this month at Queen's Club, where she partnered rising star Victoria Mboko in doubles competition.
The pair won their opening-round match, but Mboko was later forced to withdraw from the tournament because of injury. The injury will also prevent the Canadian youngster from participating in Wimbledon.
Meanwhile, Venus Williams, who made her comeback to the tour last July after a 16-month break, is currently ranked No. 119 in doubles. Her best result since returning came at last year's US Open, where she reached the quarterfinals partnering Leylah Fernandez.