Serena Williams snubs press after Wimbledon exit to Maya Joint as future remains up in the air

Wednesday, 01 July 2026 at 00:52

Serena Williams standing on Centre Court at Wimbledon, with the scoreboard in the background.

Serena Williams' tennis future and whether it will be a one and down as to her comeback at Wimbledon is likely to rumble on it seems until the US hard court swing as she declined to do press after she lost in three sets to Maya Joint.

Williams lost 3-6, 7-6, 3-6 in favour of Joint who now heads on to face Alexandra Eala in the second round in a repeat of their brilliant Eastbourne final won by Joint on the same surface last year.

BBC remarked throughout the end of the commentary on Tuesday night whether it was the end of Serena Williams and whether it was a one and done exercise given she will be 45 if she returns to SW19 next year. She showed great tennis at times in a like riding a bike analogy in never losing your touch but other times it was laboured similar to when she 'evolved away' in 2022.

Sends simple quote to journalists amid exit

But it seems very likely at the very least that she will probably attempt to play the US Open with murmurs about the mixed doubles. She still plays normal doubles with Venus Williams so it will be interesting to see whether journalists at Wimbledon still get to speak to her.

But she simply sent a small quote to the media attributed to her as per prominent journalist, Ben Rothenberg. "It was really great to be back at Wimbledon. I never expected to be here. The atmosphere was amazing."

Serena Williams not doing press tonight at #Wimbledon, lol.

The tournament sent a quote attributed to her. pic.twitter.com/aYRthRcmu9
— Ben Rothenberg (@BenRothenberg) June 30, 2026

"Walking out was amazing. I definitely relished it and missed it and enjoyed the moment more than anything."

Albeit of course that in turn can be inferred in many ways whether it scratched the itch and she doesn't want more or whether she wants to keep going. The time will certainly tell, but given she does everything on her terms, it is not unexpected that she decided tonight isn't the night to field questions on it.

Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief

Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.

Based in Leicester, Samuel has a broad background in tennis media. In his current role, he works closely with editors and writers to ensure coverage meets clear journalistic standards, with particular attention to verification, consistency, and timely updates when new information becomes available.

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