Wimbledon 2026: Serena Williams returns against Maya Joint; Swiatek and Zverev battle through – live

Cobolli v Navone has been suspended at the end of the third set, with Cobolli, the French Open runner-up, leading 1-6, 7-6, 6-3. And it’s a similar story on Court 12, where Tiafoe and Atmane are coming off. Tiafoe leads 7-6, 6-1, 4-6.

The double faults appear to be catching. Williams, unlike peak Williams, has hit more doubles than aces so far, and is 0-40 down. A one-two punch straight out of the tennis textbook saves the first. Joint’s backhand misfires on the second. And a stinging serve out wide fends off the third! Joint’s mentor Sam Stosur – who incidentally won the 2011 US Open final in the eye of a Williams storm – can barely watch in the player’s box. Joint gets a fourth BP at her advantage but Williams slams the door shut once more. And holds! Cue perhaps the biggest roar from the Centre Court crowd so far. Williams edges 6-5 ahead, and once again is a game away from taking this first-round match to a final set.

Joint finds some first serves when she needs them most and holds to 15 for 5-5 … just as Wawrinka brings up set point at 6-5 in the breaker against Berrettini. But Wawrinka nets. And now Berrettini has SP at 8-7. And Wawrinka double faults! Ach. Berrettini takes the tie-break 9-7 to lead 6-7, 7-6, 7-6, and it’s a very long way back for the 41-year-old Wawrinka, in his final Wimbledon, from here.

A third successive break on Centre Court and the crowd are once again in raptures as it goes Williams’s way. Whatever happens from here on in, I think the fight she’s shown has more than justified her decision to take the singles wild card. And she’s grown into this match as it’s gone on; no surprise given she’s been away for so long. And for the first time in this second set, Williams nudges ahead, holding serve for 5-4. Apparently fans started queuing outside two days ago to get a ticket for this match, and they’re being rewarded now. Joint must hold serve, otherwise Williams has got herself a deciding set.

The curse of the Queen’s champions has struck again. After Francisco Cerundolo’s exit earlier, out has gone Donna Vekic too, in three sets to the American qualifier Ashlyn Krueger.

After the first break in the Berrettini-Wawrinka match after nearly three hours, a second follows immediately, as Berrettini fails to serve out the third set and Stan shows he can still be the man. So it’s 5-5 … and a third tie-break is very likely incoming …

“The GOAT of tennis against the youthful newcomer. What a compelling match,” emails Gavriella Epstein-Lightman.“Serena is serving missiles and hitting booming forehands, but Joint is thoroughly uncowed, redirecting Serena’s pace right back at her. When the match gets into extended rallies, Serena’s movement is impressive for a 44-year-old, but it is ultimately Joint who is getting out on top.” And Joint is back on top once more when Williams, after all her good work in the previous game, slumps 15-40 down and is swiftly broken when her forehand flies long. A messy game from Williams and she’ll be kicking herself. Joint is two games away at 6-3, 4-3.

Not any more! A huge “COME ONNNNN!!!” and fist pump as Williams claims her first break, from deuce, with b2b forehand winners! Suddenly it’s like it’s 2016 all over again. They’re back on serve with Williams trailing 6-3, 3-3.

The tide has turned on No 1 Court, where Berrettini has secured the first break of the match after nearly three hours and is serving for the third set at 6-7, 7-6, 5-4. If the 2021 finalist wins this set, I’m not sure the 41-year-old Wawrinka is coming back. So it’s Williams and Wawrinka, boasting a combined age of 85, very much up against it right now, though Williams does hold to reduce her deficit to 6-3, 3-2, but she’s still a break down, remember.

Another two break points come and go for Williams, and she’s now 0-5 on BPs, and Joint is 6-3, 3-1 ahead. “I can’t tell you how difficult it is to go out and play a singles match when you haven’t in almost four years, especially when you’re playing an opponent who seems to be in an incredible zone,” says Tracy Austin on the BBC. I think it also shows the depth in tennis that a world No 87 who’s had only three wins this year is doing so well against a 23-times grand slam singles champ, even though that 23x champ is 44 and playing her first singles match in four years.

A much-needed hold for Williams, to love no less. And news of an emotional win for the man Williams calls her “guy bestie”, Grigor Dimitrov. A year on from being forced to retire injured when he was close to knocking out the eventual champion Jannik Sinner in the fourth round, he’s won in straight sets against the Australian qualifier Dane Sweeny. Next up for the 35-year-old … the 20-year-old recent French Open semi-finalist Jakub Mensik, who narrowly survived a fifth-set tie-break against Britain’s Toby Samuel earlier.

An anguished look from Williams as she slides 40-0 down on Joint’s serve. This wasn’t in the comeback script. She could do with shortening the points as much as possible here; she’s never going to be able to outrun the 20-year-old. Joint errs on her forehand and then her backhand just to balance things out, and a Williams winner makes it deuce – and now here’s a break point, her first since the fifth game of the match! A Wimblegasp as Williams whacks her forehand into the net. And Joint eventually backs up the break for 6-3, 2-0.

Serena does Serena things to open up the second set, as she charges to 40-15 with an ace. But here’s another double – which led to her downfall in the first set – and it’s 40-30. Then deuce. And advantage Joint. Joint pings a backhand down the line and a stumbling Serena isn’t getting to that. This was billed as the Serena Show, but right now it’s Joint who’s proving to be the star and she leads 6-3, 1-0 with the break.

Williams coughs up two double faults in game eight and Joint has the chance to break … and there’s a collective groan as Williams nets. It leaves Joint serving for the set at 5-3 … and the Australian rounds the first set off with a one-two punch. Which must feel like a gut punch to the 7x champ. Joint has played her best set of tennis this year having lost 13 of her past 14 matches, and she’s saved it for the biggest stage. Williams wasn’t far behind the 20-year-old in that set, it just came down to a few points here and there, but, understandably, she didn’t quite have the sharpness when it mattered.

After yesterday’s whitewash, a fourth British win of the day! Jan Choinski, the Germany-born British No 2, sees off the Czech Vit Kopriva in straight sets and next up for him could be Frances Tiafoe, who’s just getting under way on Court 12 as the shadows lengthen and the sun dips around the All England Club.

Williams has said she has nothing to prove or lose in her comeback, and has little expectation, having decided less than two weeks ago to play singles at Wimbledon, having already accepted a doubles wildcard. Perhaps this is a chance for her to enjoy her time on court, something she couldn’t do so much when she was under such pressure to rack up major titles during her first career. There hasn’t been any talk that this return is being driven by an attempt to win a record-equalling 24^th grand slam title – which would surely would be a fanciful idea given her age and the fact her last slam title was in 2017. But there’s a hint of the Williams of 2017 when she rips a passing winner – though Joint still holds to 30 for a 4-3 lead.

Back-to-back unforced errors from Joint give Williams two break points at 15-40 … but the GOAT can’t take advantage, her movement looking a little laboured (though still better than almost any other 44-year-old in the world tbf). Her ball striking has been good so far, though, she’s hitting with decent depth, and her serve has been solid. Williams then holds to 15 and it’s 3-3.

The roof on No 1 Court is closing, which gives Wawrinka and Berrettini a well-earned break, after that almost neverending tie-break. Elsewhere, the French Open semi-finalists Marta Kostyuk and Diana Shnaider are through, as is the Czech ninth seed Linda Noskova, for many a possible contender for the title this year. Joint’s fellow Australian James Duckworth has reached round two, but out has gone another Aussie, Ajla Tomljanovic.

No one would blame Joint if she were overawed by this occasion, but she’s looking fairly relaxed, all things considered, and secures her second hold for 2-1. There’s an age gap of 24 years between the 44-year-old Williams and Joint, who wasn’t even born when Williams already had seven grand slam singles titles to her name. Williams’s numbers are, of course, like an all-out stat attack. And Williams holds to 30 for 2-2, crunching down her first ace in the process, though neither have totally found their serving groove yet, to be honest. It’s 2-2.

Williams looks as if she’s never been away as she rattles through her opening service game to love. So it’s 1-1. It’s not nearly so straightforward on No 1 Court, where Wawrinka and Berrettini are doing their best to outdo the Borg v McEnroe breaker from the 1980 final, but Berrettini finally takes it 18-16 (!!!) when Wawrinka blinks on his money shot, as his backhand misfires! They’re level at a set apiece, with no breaks of serve in the match so far, and it could be a late night on No 1 Court, even though most eyes are on Centre and a certain S Williams.

Of course we know everything about Williams (apart from what kind of shape she’ll be in after so long away), but what of Joint? She’s one of more talented younger players on tour, and won the Eastbourne title on grass last year, but has lost 13 of her past 14 matches in an injury-ravaged season. So this is a kind first-round draw for Williams, given she is unseeded and could have faced the likes of Aryna Sabalenka or Elena Rybakina in the first round.

“I felt like I was looking into a television screen when I was serving to her, it felt so surreal, Maya Joint will feel the same,” says Eugenie Bouchard on the BBC. And now Joint is serving to Serena … and Williams starts her first singles match in nearly four years by winning the opening point. 0-15 turns into 15-30, but a netted forehand from Williams allows Joint to recover to 30-all, and from there the 20-year-old Australian, who gave herself the nickname “Ginger Ninja” holds.

To get you in the mood, if you needed it:

Meanwhile on No 1 Court, Wawrinka and Berrettini go on. And on. Wawrinka now leads 12-11 in the tie-break. But Berrettini swiftly restores parity for 12-12.

* making an entrance slightly more understated than Serena’s *

Thanks Daniel! Wow, that was a spine-tingling moment. Usually the stands empty out between matches on Centre Court; not so this time. And the roof has been closed, just to add to the atmosphere. Serena had her game face on as she stepped on to court, her headphones blocking out the noise, but she’ll have heard the crowd’s roar when she took them off. And here are her two daughters watching from the player’s box, her husband too, and Venus. “I can’t believe this is happening, the buzz is insane,” says John McEnroe.

Two big serves from Berrettini make 7-6 and set point, but he sends a forehand long, then nets with Wawrinka stranded at the net. He quickly makes it 8-8, though … BUT ON CENTRE, HERE COMES THE QUEEN! Headphones on, she walks down the famous steps and past her own name, there as champion seven times. The double doors open, Joint comes first, and what a moment. The crowd rise to acclaim the greatest, off come the headphones, and this is the treat we thought we’d never get. Savour it, people; I’m off for the day, but here’s Katy Murrells to croon you through it.

Wawrinka blocks back a return that brushes the baseline and Berrettini nets, but he immediately takes back the mini-break then, down set point at 5-6, nails an ace for 6-6. Meantime, Serena is almost due; I can’t wait to see and hear the reception.

Berrettini, though, butchers a forehand into the net, then a gorgeous wrong-footing backhand down the line gives Wawrinkz 4-3; that is just beautiful and it’s incumbent upoin to savour it because it’s almost gone forever. Talking of which..

Back on No 1, we’re playing that breaker, Wawrinka letting a ball he thinks is falling long go … but it clips the baseline and Berrettini has the mini-break, leading 2-1.

Before we do Zverev’s interview, to No 1, where Wawrinka is serving for a second breaker against Berrettini having taken the first. Then the no2 seed says whe he saw the draw he thought here we go again, same as last year, when he lost to Rinderknech – someone who can serve 120 and take the racket out of your hand. “Incredible player, incredible person,” he says. “This is just the start for him on this beautiful court.”

He says he still struggles “on this beautiful court” and, asked about his grass allergy, says he takes a lot of pills, does a lot of sneezing, but that’s just how it is, he’s dealing with it and feels fine.

He hopes he do better having won Roland Garros. He thinks he can play well on this surface and wants to do better than he has previously at Wimbledon – his best is round four.

To get you in the mood:

Next on Centre: Serena Williams v Maya Joint!

Zverev, who serves really well today, thwacks down an ace, and that was a really difficult game against an opponent announcing himself to the world. I’m sure we’ll see plenty more of him, while next up for Zverev it’s Royer.

Immediate mini-break for Zverev, who consolidates for 3-0 then, when Blockx nets, makes it 4-0, and this is nearly over. Meantime, Navone seals a 6-1 set over a disappointing Cobolli; he made the last eight last year. Gosh, and while I was typing that, Zverev powered to 6-0 and now holds six match points.

Zverev holds to love for 6-6 and of course we’re staying in the moment, except if he wins the breaker … it’s Serena time.

Kostyuk is all over Podoroska, leading 5-1, while Eala has beaten Zarazua 1 and 2. Lehecka leads Popyrin 6-4 3-0, Noskova leads Seidel 6-4 1-1, and Shnaider came back to take the first set of Lys 7-5. Finally, Vekic leads Krueger 6-3 301 and Choinski leads Kopriva 6-3 302

Navone has made a good start against Cobolli, leading 3-1 in the first, while Blockx continues to impress, up 5-4 on Zverev in the fourth; he looks good for a breaker, ands if he could win that, the match would really be in the balance. On No 1, Wawrinka leads Berrettini 7-6 4-4, which is to say these two are very well matched.

A typically canny breaker from Dimitrov sees him take it to four. He leads Sweeney by one set to love, and I wish he’d been this equilibrious in the Baby Fed years of his mid-20s. It wasn’t to be, though – it took him longer than ideal to metamorphose from talent to player, such that a grand slam win now looks impossible but, as Sinner found out last year, he’s good enough to give anyone grief.

Oooh, and Blockx then holds in short oder, leading 4-3 in the fourth and, at 21 looks to have a big future. I’m impressed, and I bet Zverev is too.