IT WAS never going to be a quiet comeback by Serena Williams, was it?

The greatest woman to play this sport made a late call to accept a singles wildcard off the All England Club and expose herself to the mercy of the draw.

At the age of 44 – following a four-year gap off the WTA Tour, during which she had a second child – she had earned the right to put her feet up, count her millions and toss aside the racquets.

Yet here she was, in her Wimbledon whites, close to 10pm at night, still putting herself through the gruelling process of returning tennis balls, all for the love of competition.

But despite a power-house performance, in which she occasionally roared at the top of her lungs, Williams could not get over the line, losing 6-3 6-7 6-3 in two hours and 22 minutes to Maya Joint on Centre Court.

The Australian underdog, 20, put aside the anguish of squandering a match point in the second-set tie-break.

And as Williams’s energy levels dipped in set three, the Antipodean – who was guilty of being intimidated by the GOAT and acting at times like a rabbit-in-the-headlights – moved into round two for the first time.

To ensure this first-round match would not be disrupted by the fading light, the correct decision was taken to shut the roof.

And to whet the appetite, a montage of Wiliams’s best bits from down the years, notably the multiple times she was crowned the Queen of Grass, were replayed on the arena screen.

When she walked out, the 15,000-strong crowd rose to their feet – it is not often people get a standing ovation from Wimbledon patrons but this was one of those rare occasions when it felt just right.

For the first time in 1,397 days, Williams was involved in singles competition, her first match since losing in three sets to Australian Ajla Tomljanovic at the 2022 US Open.

It is crazy to think that, like the billionaire footballer Cristiano Ronaldo, she still wants to put herself through the slog of professional tennis when she has so much money in the bank.

One of her reasons behind returning was that her two children would see their mummy play at the highest level, rather than on old YouTube videos.

Eldest daughter Alexis Olympia, who is eight, was in the stands but Adira River – who arrived into the world in August 2023 – had to leave before the first ball was struck because there is a strict no under-fives policy.

Though Williams – who has shed weight thanks to fat-slimming jabs – lacked footwork at times and was not exactly moving around like a gazelle, she still possessed the power of a lion.

There were many forehand ripsnorters and she smashed down one first-serve ace at 121mph.

Joint – born after Williams had collected SEVEN of her 23 Grand Slam titles – came here on a wretched run of form and that lack of confidence showed as she struggled to convert in the decisive moments.

For the world No.45 – who now faces Alexandra Eala of the Philippines – this was a first tour-level win since Adelaide in January when she had a walkover win over Alja Tomljanovic.

Williams, given a standing ovation as she walked off, will be back for the doubles with elder sister Venus, 46, yet in terms of singles, this might be the last time she ever dons Wimbledon whites.

Joint, who was born in America, said: “I don’t know what just happened.

“I didn’t get much sleep last night. I was up to 2am thinking about it.

“Walking out, I forgot the warm-up, I don’t know what happened. My legs weren’t moving.

“I got a pretty good start in the match. She has such an aura, she is such a legend.

“So many huge names have played on this court. I have been dreaming of this moment since I was a little kid, so this is pretty crazy.

“I tried to come out to this court and play a match against her – the start was very nerve-wracking and to finish it off was special.

“She lifted her level and played some really great tennis.”

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