Serena Williams Didn’t Win in Wimbledon Return. But She Didn’t Lose Either
Serena Williams Didn’t Win in Wimbledon Return. But She Didn’t Lose Either
The 44-year-old fell to 20-year-old Maya Joint in a respectable showing after nearly four years away from major competition. Jon Wertheim|
For all its hidebound traditions, Wimbledon decided to do something different this year. The tournament turned back the clock on Tuesday at the All England Club. There on Centre Court (in, symbolically, diminishing evening light), was the familiar sight of Serena Williams, ankles taped, clad in Nike, brandishing a Wilson racket, crowding the baseline, serving in excess of 120 mph, fixing her eyes on targets and rocking her arms as she prepared to return serve.
The nostalgia and throwback only went so far. Serena played more than respectably—surely one of the world’s all-time best players north of 40 years old. She served well, moved respectively, and, at times, did a convincing Serena impersonation. But in the end, the mighty Serena Williams lost to Maya Joint, a game 20-year-old from Australia, 6–3, 6–7, 6–3. And with that, considerable amounts of air left this tournament.
Ever since she announced her comeback, Serena has been the talk of Wimbledon, the biggest source of star wattage and the reason ESPN’s ratings may be higher for this first-round match than for the finals 10 days from now. This is a familiar story of a generational athlete returning, braided with themes of motherhood, self-agency and even the power of GLP-1s.
But, viewed objectively, this match was more about the opponent than the headliner. A former star at Texas, Joint turned pro as a teenager and cracked the top 30 in the WTA rankings. This year, at 20, she’s struggled mightily, having lost 12 of the past 13 matches she’s played. But tonight, in the strangest and most pressure-stuffed match of her career, she was the player who imposed herself, who protected her second serve, won the majority of the long rallies and handled the occasion with poise to burn.
Four years ago at Wimbledon, Serena lost to France’s Harmony Tan, moving sluggishly, making scads of errors and playing at a level unworthy of a GOAT. On Tuesday, she would have beaten that player handily. Against a player half her age, she hung in rallies, clubbed seven aces and showed flashes of brilliance. She also suffered from the lack of match play, made a series of questionable decisions, played too many balls to the middle of the court and missed too many second-serve returns. “Respectable” was a word scribbled in my notes more than once. Not dazzling. Not embarrassing. Respectable.
Where does Serena go from here? The first answer is the Wimbledon doubles draw, where she will pair with her sister, Venus, their combined age being 90. The bigger question: Was this a fun detour and experiment, a chance for a player to test herself and play in front of her kids when they could appreciate Mom’s aura? Or will this fail to slake her thirst for competition, and she’ll start training for the U.S. hard-court season?
Speculating about anything Serena-related is a fool’s errand. Always has been. But if she continues this comeback, she’ll need more match play, a bit more movement and better returning.
This we can say with certitude: Serena didn’t lose on Tuesday. Not in the big picture. But she didn’t win either. Her career singles record coming in was 858–156. It is now 858–157.
Meanwhile, the doubles team of time and biology remains, of course, unbeaten.
More Tennis from Sports Illustrated
Published 9 minutes ago | Modified 9 minutes ago
JON WERTHEIMJon Wertheim is a senior writer for Sports Illustrated and has been part of the full-time SI writing staff since 1997, largely focusing on the tennis beat, sports business and social issues, and enterprise journalism. In addition to his work at SI, he is a correspondent for “60 Minutes” and a commentator for The Tennis Channel. He has authored 11 books and has been honored with two Emmys, numerous writing and investigative journalism awards, and the Eugene Scott Award from the International Tennis Hall of Fame. Wertheim is a longtime member of the New York Bar Association (retired), the International Tennis Writers Association and the Writers Guild of America. He has a bachelor’s in history from Yale University and received a law degree from the University of Pennsylvania. He resides in New York City and Paris with his wife, who is a divorce mediator and adjunct law professor. They have two children.
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GOP Rep. Tom Kean Jr. explains his 'mysterious' 4-month absence from Congress
OAN Staff Lillian Mann
6:30 PM – Tuesday, June 30, 2026
In an emotional speech on the House floor, New Jersey GOP Representative Tom Kean Jr. revealed the reason behind his four-month long medical leave from Congress, telling his fellow lawmakers that he was in the hospital for depression.
Kean (R-N.J.) disclosed on Tuesday that he was recently diagnosed with depression following a hospitalization for undisclosed health concerns. He added that recovering from the mental illness has taken longer than expected.
“I am a private person by nature … talking about myself has never come naturally. But I believe that I owe an explanation to the people of New Jersey’s 7th District, to my colleagues in this chamber and to the American people for my absence,” he began from the podium Tuesday morning.
“I was given the diagnosis of depression. It is physical, it is emotional and, until you’ve experienced it yourself, it is difficult to fully understand how powerful this illness can be.”
The 57-year-old has missed more than 140 votes during his recovery, amounting to a 100% absence rate, according to the website GovTrack.
“I began to understand not only my diagnosis, but how long depression had been affecting my life,” he continued. “When people hear the word depression, many people think it simply means feeling sad. But depression is so much more than that.”
“When I first informed the public that I was dealing with a medical issue, I was still trying to understand what was happening myself,” he said of the secrecy of his absence.
Despite feeling hesitant when his doctors recommended he stayed at the hospital, he shared that he was ultimately grateful for the decision.
“When I said I hope to return in a matter of weeks, I believed it. Those were the best estimates that the doctor could provide. But as the over 48 million of my fellow Americans being treated for this illness have come to discover, there is no timeline for healing. There is no timeline for recovery. Only the work of getting better one day at a time,” he said.
“Today I am grateful that I listened to my doctors … I am grateful that I accepted help. Because today I stand before you healthier, stronger and excited to return to the work that I love.”
Although Kean’s condition was not made public until Tuesday, the details were apparently known by Capitol Hill colleagues –including House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) — who said earlier this month, “I do know what his health issue is, but he’s asked me not to disclose that, and I’m going to honor that.”
Johnson also emphasized at the time that Kean’s absence is “not a scandalous thing at all,” telling reporters that “people deal with health issues. Maybe that’s a news flash for you, but even members of Congress get sick as well.”
During his absence, Kean secured the Republican nomination for a third term representing New Jersey’s 7th Congressional District after running unopposed in the primary. He will face Rebecca Bennett (D-N.J.) in November.
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These Whiskies From One of Scotland’s Underrated Distilleries Are the Perfect Summer Sippers
By Jonah FlickerJonah Flicker
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Fettercairn
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Whiskey brands and distilleries make a lot of claims about how they taste, but sometimes it’s all about the power of suggestion. Did you really taste Christmas cake and treacle as you sipped that single malt? Do you even know what those things taste like? In the case of this new pair of whiskies from Fettercairn, however, the claims hold true—these two single malt scotches are bursting with tropical fruit notes, making them perfect summer sippers.
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Fettercairn, a Highland distillery that is owned by Whyte & Mackay along with the Dalmore and Jura, is relatively new in the U.S. The distillery has been around for about two centuries, but the whisky only became available here last year with the launch of 24 and 28-year-old whiskies, the latter of which we found to be exceptional. It’s less common for a whisky to launch with higher age-statement expressions like these, although certainly not unheard of, but at the time a rep for the brand said younger expressions would follow. Well, they have arrived in the form of 12 and 16-year-old single malts, both of which are full of bright, fruity notes that will appeal to both newbies and seasoned whisky vets.
The distillery attributes its whisky’s tropical fruit character to the way in which it is distilled and cooled. There is a copper cooling ring near the top of the still that Fettercairn says means only the lightest vapors rise to the top, and those are said to contain the particular flavors that define the new make spirit and carry over through many years of maturation. “That process gives us a beautifully light, tropical spirit to work with, and from there, it’s about shaping that character with care—preserving its freshness while building texture and complexity through maturation,” said distillery manager Stewart Walker in a statement.
WATCHIf these technical details are a bit beyond your pay grade, try the whisky for yourself to see what you taste. The 12-year-old is aged entirely in ex-bourbon barrels and bottled at 46 percent ABV with natural color and no chill filtration. Look for notes of pineapple, banana, mango, vanilla, citrus, and ginger on the palate. The 16-year-old, also naturally colored and without chill filtration, was also aged in ex-bourbon barrels and bottled at a slightly higher 46.4 percent ABV. There’s a bit more oak on the palate here, as you might expect, along with notes of papaya, ripe pear, green apple, custard, cinnamon, and milk chocolate.
Both the 12 (SRP $55) and the 16 (SRP $90) were released in late spring and are available to purchase now from retailers around the country and at websites like Total Wine. And you can still find the excellent (and expensive) 24 and 28-year-old whiskies at websites like ReserveBar.
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Jonah Flicker
Flicker is currently Robb Report's whiskey critic, writing a weekly review of the most newsworthy releases around. He is a freelance writer covering the spirits industry whose work has appeared in…
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14 House Republicans vote down procedural rule over 'SAVE America Act,' halting week's legislative calendar
OAN Staff Brooke Mallory
4:00 PM – Tuesday, June 30, 2026
A coalition of fourteen House Republicans paralyzed the legislative floor on Tuesday, tanking a procedural vote and forcing GOP leadership to abruptly scrap the week’s legislative calendar.
The coalition, led by Representatives Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) and Chip Roy (R-Texas), choked off legislative business as conservative holdouts dug in on demands for stricter federal voting regulations — specifically targeting the passage of the SAVE America Act.
The full list of the 14 Republicans includes:
- Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) — Coalition co-leader
- Chip Roy (R-Texas) — Coalition co-leader
- Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.)
- Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.)
- Eric Burlison (R-Mo.)
- Eli Crane (R-Ariz.)
- Randy Fine (R-Fla.)
- Andy Harris (R-Md. )
- Thomas Massie (R-Ky.)
- Max Miller (R-Ohio)
- Keith Self (R-Texas)
- Victoria Spartz (R-Ind.)
- Mike Turner (R-Ohio)
- Steve Scalise (R-La.) — Voted “no” strictly for procedural routing
The immediate casualty of the intraparty disagreement was a $1.15 trillion defense spending bill. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) had engineered a plan to merge the annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) with the SAVE America Act, packaging the conservative voting priorities into a must-pass piece of legislation before sending it to the upper chamber.
However, the faction rebelled against this strategy, sinking the routine procedural rule vote 224–198.
Luna described the leadership’s legislative bundling as a “procedural head fake,” arguing that merging the bills would make it far too easy for the Senate to simply strip the election provisions out during conference negotiations.
Instead, Luna and like-minded House members demanded that the voting regulations — including mandatory photo ID and documentary proof of citizenship to register for federal elections — be written directly into the base text of the NDAA via amendment, thus making it legally harder to unravel.
Analysts say that the legislative standoff represents a massive bottleneck for the thin Republican majority, where Speaker Johnson can only afford to lose three votes on party-line measures.
Notably, this procedural loophole allows Republican leadership to bring the rule back to the floor for reconsideration at a later date without being forced to send the massive defense package back to the House Rules Committee.
Confronted by an unyielding wall of opposition, GOP leadership admitted defeat just hours after the failed vote, canceling all remaining legislative business for Wednesday and Thursday. Lawmakers were sent home for an early Fourth of July holiday recess, postponing any further action on the defense bill or pending appropriations measures until the House reconvenes on July 13th.
A visibly frustrated Speaker Johnson defended the derailed defense package, noting that it contained roughly 65 of the Trump administration’s core priorities and executive orders (EOs). Johnson lamented that a handful of his own members chose to halt very important progress because of their grievances with Senate Democrats.
Meanwhile, thee ultimate destination for the SAVE America Act remains highly contentious.
While the bill represents a core pillar of the Trump administration’s platform, it faces friction in the upper chamber. Even if the House successfully advances the measure, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) has struggled to gather the necessary support to cross the 60-vote filibuster threshold, with several Senate Republicans joining Democrats to vote against the measure in a recent 48–50 vote.
As the House enters a multi-week cooling-off period, Johnson indicated he would use the recess to regroup and work on the holdouts, though hardliners have pledged to block all subsequent floor traffic until their strict voting integrity parameters are met.
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