Italian
At 44, Serena Williams returns to play singles at Wimbledon. Defeated 6-3 6-7(6) 6-3 by Australian Maya Joint in two hours and 22 minutes
WIMBLEDON (ENGLAND) – At times it felt like a déjà-vu. Seeing her there on that central court where she has triumphed seven times. All of this almost four years after her retirement. And yet it was all true. A bit like in the movie Rocky Balboa. The great old champion decides to return to the ring for one last dance.
It meant a lot to Serena Williams. She desperately wanted her two daughters, Olympia and Adira, to see her play live at least once. She had everything to lose, really. Yet the multiple-time champion from the United States put herself on the line once again. In front of her entire family and her sister Venus, who was filming her from the box.
And he did it with all his power, with that legendary shot of his that still, without practically any training and with the signs of two pregnancies and age advancing, clocked in at 122 mph. It’s madness even to think about it clearly.
“I wanted, I always wanted, I wanted it very much” said Vittorio Alfieri. And so it was. The result may not have been what was desired, but the joy and fortune of seeing her once again on the grass of Wimbledon was priceless. A battle of two hours and 22 minutes, the stands just for her.
In the end, the Australian Maya Joint, ranked 87th in the WTA, won with a score of 6-3 6-7(6) 6-3. A twenty-year-old who never thought she could compete with the 23-time Grand Slam champion in singles. A legend of world tennis. And yet, it really happened.
For one night the queen has returned.
