Expectations grow at Wimbledon this Tuesday (30), with the return of the great American tennis player Serena Williams. Fans are eager to see if the 23-time Grand Slam champion can relive her greatest moments and thrill the tournament audience once again.
Williams, 44, played her last competitive singles match at the 2022 US Open after saying she was “stepping away” from tennis, and her surprise return as a guest at the All England Club captivated fans and players in the build-up to the tournament.
“Everyone is so excited to see Serena back. She’s the best player of all time,” Lorraine, a fan from Ireland, told Reuters. “Even when we were traveling here, we heard a lot of people talking about her.”
Diarmuid, another Irish fan, added that hers was a chance to see one again.
“She’s done everything and obviously loves it so much that she wants to play again,” he said.
“I’ve heard some things online and people being negative, saying she doesn’t deserve it. They’re saying she’s too old or something. But she’s one of the greatest players we’ve ever had, so anyone who gets the opportunity to see her play here is very lucky,” he said.
Fan says age is a “big risk”
she debuted at Wimbledon in 1998 and won the last of her seven singles titles at the tournament 10 years ago. She is also expected to play doubles in the championship with her older sister Venus.
Regardless of the result on Tuesday against 20-year-old Australian Maya Joint in the third match of the day on Wimbledon’s biggest stage, her return guarantees one thing: an unmissable sporting spectacle.
But some fans have questioned whether Williams can still compete with younger opponents in singles after time away from the court and with just two competitive doubles matches on grass before Wimbledon.
Williams lost in the first round to Harmony Tan in 2022, also as a guest, and her last singles win at Wimbledon was in 2019, when she was runner-up to Simona Halep.
“Obviously a big risk, I think, is her age,” said Daniel, from south London.
“Doubles is a little safer for her, but singles is an unknown. But she has such a powerful game that as long as her movement stays good, I think she can still surprise some players.”
Bianca, a Brazilian fan, said: “I don’t think she’ll do well. I mean, there’s a lot of routine, a lot of training before that. If the match goes on too long, she’ll probably get tired more easily than before, but maybe she can.”
Honra de Joint
However, others were sure that Serena’s — and Venus’s — aura would prevail.
Claire, from the Midlands region of England, said: “She’s one of the Williams sisters, isn’t she? She still has strength.”
For Joint, meeting Williams, in only his second appearance in the main draw at the All England Club, represents the realization of an old dream.
“It’s an honor,” U.S.-born Joint said Friday.
“I’ve always dreamed of playing against Serena Williams, and if you told me 10 years ago that I would be playing against her in the first round of Wimbledon, that would have been just crazy.”
“I have a lot of respect for her, and she was one of my childhood idols. I’m really excited to have the opportunity to play against her.”
