Serena set for much-anticipated Wimbledon return

Serena Williams will make her return to singles tennis for the first time in four years when she steps onto Centre Court at Wimbledon on Tuesday, while Iga Swiatek starts her title defence.

French Open champion Alexander Zverev gets his campaign under way, bidding to put his previous grass-court struggles behind him.

Here, AFP Sport takes a look at three matches to watch on the second day of the tournament:

Serena Williams (USA) v Maya Joint (AUS)

First meeting

— Williams plays a professional singles match for the first time since “evolving away” from tennis four years ago when she takes on Australian youngster Joint in the first round.

The 23-time Grand Slam champion announced her shock return to the sport earlier this month and has played two doubles matches since, winning one and losing one.

The tie against Joint will be the 44-year-old’s first appearance in singles since losing to Ajla Tomljanovic in the 2022 US Open third round.

“I expect to be nervous. I was also nervous every single match I ever played in my life,” said Williams, who will also play in the doubles alongside older sister Venus.

“I’ve always had some nerves. But then I just dust ’em off, then I move on. I definitely expect to have those same feelings.”

Serena could not have been given a much kinder draw than facing Joint, who has lost 13 of her last 14 matches.

Even a drop down to the second-tier ITF circuit didn’t bring the 20-year-old much joy.

Joint has slipped to 87th in the WTA rankings, having been inside the world’s top 30 in February.

She will face a daunting task Tuesday, when the crowd will be firmly behind her opponent.

Serena won the last of her seven Wimbledon titles a decade ago and her last Grand Slam triumph came at the 2017 Australian Open, when she was pregnant with her first child.

Taylor Townsend (USA) v Iga Swiatek (POL x3)

First meeting

— Reigning champion Swiatek returns to the All England Club searching for answers after a disappointing clay-court season.

The four-time French Open champion struggled for form on her favourite surface and crashed out at Roland Garros to Marta Kostyuk in the fourth round.

That was Swiatek’s joint-earliest French Open exit, matching her last-16 run on debut in 2019.

Last year, she had the perfect response to pain in Paris, where she suffered a semi-final defeat by Aryna Sabalenka that included a 6-0 drubbing in the deciding set.

Just weeks later, Swiatek powered to her first-ever grass-court title at Wimbledon, dropping just two games in her semi-final before hammering Amanda Anisimova 6-0, 6-0 in the final.

She is hoping to use those memories as she bids to become the first back-to-back winner of the women’s title since Serena Williams in 2015 and 2016.

“When I watch myself from last year, I remember that I was just so focused on the goal, didn’t have many doubts,” Swiatek said ahead of her first meeting with experienced American Townsend.

Alexander Blockx (BEL) v Alexander Zverev (GER x2)

Zverev leads head-to-head 2-0

— Zverev finally ended his long wait for a maiden Grand Slam title at Roland Garros, edging past Flavio Cobolli in the final to take full advantage of the shock early exits of Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic.

The German has always found life difficult at Wimbledon, though, and has never got past the last 16 in nine previous appearances.

Last year, Zverev was beaten in the first round by Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech and he faces another tough test against Belgian rising star Blockx.

Zverev has beaten the 21-year-old twice this year, both on clay in Madrid and Rome.

Blockx has not played since withdrawing from the French Open ahead of the second round.