Tennis legend Serena Williams has split tennis fans after her first-round loss at Wimbledon, with many telling her to put down her racquet for good.

Williams, now 44, lost in the first round of Wimbledon to Australian player Maya Joint in a thrilling three-set match on Centre Court.

The 23-time major champion hadn’t played professional singles since the 2022 US Open – but decided to make her return to the tour at the 2026 Championships.

Williams had played a doubles match with Canadian star Victoria Mboko at Queen’s just weeks before Wimbledon was set to commence.

The tournament then offered her a late wildcard entry to play singles.

A long list of fans praised Williams for her play in the loss, which came just two months before she turns 45.

Serena Williams (pictured) has divided the tennis world after her comeback at Wimbledon saw her bundled out in the first round of the singles

The 23-time major champion (pictured) was defeated by Aussie star Maya Joint in an epic three-set match

Despite coming back to win the second set in a tiebreak, Williams was blasted by some fans who saw her comeback as a publicity stunt

‘It’s ok, she just needs more time to warm up. The Queen shall return in her next match!’ one person wrote on X.

‘Extremely proud of Serena! To be 44, no prior singles matches, and to come back and play at that level EVEN if she didn’t win,’ another wrote.

‘It’s nice to see the GOAT still playing. I was rooting for Serena the entire time,’ a third added. 

But plenty more have taken aim at Williams and branded her comeback a gimmicky ploy.

‘Well, that little publicity stunt didn’t quite work did it!! What a total waste of a wildcard!!!’ one person wrote.

‘Thank God that’s over. She took a spot from someone who deserved the chance to play in the Championships,’ another wrote.

‘She took the wildcard from a young player,’ another social media user said.

‘Go play exhibitions. Someone will come watch,’ a commenter wrote on X.

Other commenters online criticised the grand slam icon for taking a wildcard entry away from a more deserving younger player

Joint (pictured) claimed the biggest scalp of her young career – but many fans believed Williams was well short of her best and should call it quits again

‘Can Serena rest now? This competition does not entail a charity match, she has had her time,’ said another fan.

‘Time to stick to doubles… Couldn’t beat an unseeded player in the first round of a slower game on grass. The GOAT needs to retire from singles,’ read another comment. 

Other criticisms included, ‘Thank god! The celebrity worship was already unbearable. She looked horrible out there’; ‘Selfish behaviour. Robbed a junior of a wildcard just to lose in the first round. If she wanted it so bad, she should have gone through qualifying’; and ‘Clearly an embarrassing stunt by Wimbledon to drag Williams back’.

Despite the loss, the American icon still had a smile on her face as she waved to adoring fans, friends and family as they cheered her off the court. 

Williams’ husband Alexis Ohanian was seen clapping with their daughters Adira, two, and eight-year-old Olympia at his side. The girls beamed as they watched their mum. 

Sister Venus wasn’t far away, cheering her younger sibling on.   

Four years after many assumed they had seen her final singles appearance at the All England Club, Williams walked back through the famous gates to a reception befitting one of the sport’s greatest ever players.

From the moment she stepped onto Centre Court, she was greeted by a standing ovation that rippled through the 15,000-strong crowd.

There were familiar faces watching from Williams’ courtside box, but life has changed considerably since she last played singles here in 2022.

Williams got a standing ovation from the packed crowd when she walked onto the most famous court in tennis

Not only has she welcomed a second child with husband Alexis but she has also co-founded a National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) team and danced at the Super Bowl.

Williams is now also a fashion red carpet regular, attending her tenth Met Gala in May wearing a Marc Jacobs minidress with gladiator heels to support her sister Venus, the co-chair of the event.

She’s also written a children’s book, something she has in common with the Duchess of Sussex, to whom she was at one point very close.

And more recently she has been open about using the skinny jab Zepbound, which is similar to Mounjaro – quickly becoming one of the most famous celebrities to endorse the controversial weight-loss drug.

Williams’ return to the professional circuit was first rumoured during the Australian Open this January.

The 44-year-old dropped a huge clue about her return when she re-entered the sport’s drug-testing pool in October 2025.