LONDON — There were still serves beyond 120 mph. Plenty of heavy groundstrokes landing within inches of the baseline, too.
Serena Williams won plenty of praise about her game from her fellow players at Wimbledon a day after her first singles match in nearly four years.
The 44-year-old Williams was beaten 6-3, 6-7 (6), 6-3 by 20-year-old Maya Joint of Australia in the first round on Tuesday but showed she could be competitive after being away for so long.
Coco Gauff ended her dinner early to find somewhere to watch Williams.
“I think Serena’s level was insane," Gauff said Wednesday. "It proves even more how she’s the GOAT despite age and all that. I don’t know how she can play that level not playing for four years. I was already nervous not playing two weeks before this tournament. I couldn’t imagine four years.
“I just love her. I love her fight. And the serve is unbelievable,” Gauff added after her second-round win. “You just look at her and you think, ’This is like 10 years ago.' It’s really insane. I think it was cool for the sport.”
The 87th-ranked Joint was in the top 30 earlier this year.
“Maya played top-10, top-5 tennis. Obviously she’s a great player,” Gauff said. “She seems like an even, chill girl. I do think if anyone was ready for the moment, it would be her.”
Williams announced on Wednesday that she tweaked her right knee toward the end of the first set but said she still hopes to play doubles with sister Venus later in the week.
Serena, a 23-time Grand Slam singles champion who won seven of her titles at Wimbledon, did not ask for medical treatment during the match and did not meet with media afterward.
“Serena tweaked her right knee at the end of the first set and was therefore excused from her media obligations by the Wimbledon and WTA medical teams,” said Jill Smoller, Williams’ agent. “She left site that night unaided and is doing everything she can to be ready for her doubles match later this week.”
Williams confirmed the injury on Instagram and added, "It felt so good to be back on the grass (at) Wimbledon. I'm incredibly thankful for the wild card — and even more grateful my daughters got to see that it's never too late to chase something you love.
“Congratulations to Maya Joint on a great match, and thank you to everyone who showed up and showed me so much love. That feeling will never get old,” Williams added.
Serena received wild card invitations from Wimbledon organizers to play both singles and doubles with Venus.
Serena has said that having her two daughters off from school inspired her comeback and it marked the first time that her youngest daughter, Adira, who is almost 3, saw her play singles. Adira sat next to her 8-year-old sister, Olympia in the front row of Serena's players' box.
Alexis Ohanian, Williams' husband, wrote on social media: "Our little family is so proud of you (at)serenawilliams — even though it wasn't the outcome you wanted, you're an inspiration. We love you" He added that the kids "are also happy they got to stay up a bit past their bedtime."
Four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka also paid tribute on social media: "I really wonder if Serena and Venus know how much they mean to us," Osaka posted.
Then after winning her second-round match, Osaka discussed watching Serena play.
“The montages that they had before the match started made me really emotional because I feel like I’ve watched her growing up,” Osaka said. “Now I feel like I’m grown up and I get the privilege of watching her again. So it was really cool.”
Fellow American Tommy Paul watched, too.
“It’s pretty impressive at her age,” Paul said. “She was striking the ball pretty well, returning pretty well. I thought she was going to go after it a little bit more. ... I think it would have helped her a lot to have maybe a match of singles before coming out to Wimbledon. But she’s Serena. She can do whatever she wants.”
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AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis