{"id":15881,"date":"2026-06-30T20:57:50","date_gmt":"2026-06-30T20:57:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/?p=15881"},"modified":"2026-06-30T20:57:50","modified_gmt":"2026-06-30T20:57:50","slug":"bbc-pundit-makes-serena-williams-claim-after-wimbledon-defeat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/?p=15881","title":{"rendered":"BBC pundit makes Serena Williams claim after Wimbledon defeat"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <div style=\"display: grid; grid-template-columns: 300px 160px; gap: 2px; width: 460px; background: #eee; padding: 2px;\">\r\n\r\n  <!-- \u6574\u884c\u5bbd\u5e7f\u544a -->\r\n  <div style=\"grid-column: 1\/-1; width: 460px; height: 250px; background: #ccc; display: grid; place-items: center;\">\r\n  <script async type=\"application\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/a.magsrv.com\/ad-provider.js\"><\/script> \r\n <ins class=\"eas6a97888e2\" data-zoneid=\"5876674\"><\/ins> \r\n <script>(AdProvider = window.AdProvider || []).push({\"serve\": {}});<\/script>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n  <div style=\"grid-column: 1\/-1; width: 460px; height: 90px; background: #ccc; display: grid; place-items: center;\">\r\n  <script async type=\"application\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/a.magsrv.com\/ad-provider.js\"><\/script> \r\n <ins class=\"eas6a97888e2\" data-zoneid=\"5876676\"><\/ins> \r\n <script>(AdProvider = window.AdProvider || []).push({\"serve\": {}});<\/script>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n\r\n  <!-- \u5de6\u4fa7\u7ad6\u6392 -->\r\n  <div style=\"height: 250px; background: #ccc; display: grid; place-items: center;\">\r\n  <script async type=\"application\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/a.magsrv.com\/ad-provider.js\"><\/script> \r\n <ins class=\"eas6a97888e2\" data-zoneid=\"5876672\"><\/ins> \r\n <script>(AdProvider = window.AdProvider || []).push({\"serve\": {}});<\/script>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n  <div style=\"height: 500px; background: #ccc; display: grid; place-items: center;\">\r\n  <script async type=\"application\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/a.magsrv.com\/ad-provider.js\"><\/script> \r\n <ins class=\"eas6a97888e2\" data-zoneid=\"5876680\"><\/ins> \r\n <script>(AdProvider = window.AdProvider || []).push({\"serve\": {}});<\/script>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n\r\n  <!-- \u53f3\u4fa7\u6469\u5929\u697c\uff08\u548c\u5de6\u4fa7\u5b8c\u5168\u5bf9\u9f50\uff09 -->\r\n  <div style=\"grid-row: 3\/5; height: 750px; background: #ccc; display: grid; place-items: center;\">\r\n  <script async type=\"application\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/a.magsrv.com\/ad-provider.js\"><\/script> \r\n <ins class=\"eas6a97888e2\" data-zoneid=\"5876678\"><\/ins> \r\n <script>(AdProvider = window.AdProvider || []).push({\"serve\": {}});<\/script>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n  \r\n  <script async type=\"application\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/a.magsrv.com\/ad-provider.js\"><\/script> \r\n <ins class=\"eas6a97888e6\" data-zoneid=\"5876682\"><\/ins> \r\n <script>(AdProvider = window.AdProvider || []).push({\"serve\": {}});<\/script>\r\n<\/div><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<figure class=\"img-container shareable-item wp-caption\">\n<div class=\"img-wrap\">\n\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"646\" height=\"417\" src=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/GettyImages-2283509085.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=646\" class=\"article-image wp-image-28989884\" alt=\"Day Two: The Championships - Wimbledon 2026\" loading=\"lazy\" \/>\t<\/div><figcaption>Serena Williams during her Wimbledon comeback defeat (Picture: Getty)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Annabel Croft says Serena Williams produced an &#8216;extraordinary&#8217; level of tennis despite her first-round defeat at Wimbledon.<\/p>\n<p>The 44-year-old mother-of-two was handed a wildcard for the women&#8217;s singles event after making a shock return to professional tennis earlier in the month.<\/p>\n<p>The return of Williams, a 23-time Grand Slam champion, led to much excitement around SW19 but her return was short-lived as she lost to world number 87 Maya Joint in her first-round match.<\/p>\n<p>Williams showed some promising early signs before Australia&#8217;s Joint, who has endured a miserable 2026 to date, took control of the opening set.<\/p>\n<p>Joint came into Wimbledon on the back of a 11-match losing run but looked to have got the better of Williams with an early break in the second set.<\/p>\n<p>But the veteran fought back admirably with two breaks of her own and stood up to the pressure of a tie-break better to level the match.<\/p>\n<p>Williams had a break point early in the deciding set but failed to convert and quickly began to fade, age and a lack of match practice seemingly catching up with the tennis icon. <\/p>\n<figure class=\"img-container shareable-item wp-caption\">\n<div class=\"img-wrap\">\n\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"646\" height=\"434\" src=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/SEI_303528943-f6b8.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=646\" class=\"article-image wp-image-28989667\" alt=\"Tennis - Wimbledon - All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, London, Britain - June 30, 2026 Serena Williams of the U.S. reacts during her first round match against Australia&apos;s Maya Joint REUTERS\/Andrew Couldridge\" loading=\"lazy\" \/>\t<\/div><figcaption>Serena Williams back on Wimbledon&#8217;s Centre Court (Picture: Reuters)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Joint has never reached the third round of a Grand Slam but is one win away from doing so here at Wimbledon after finally ending Williams&#8217; resistance and serving out for a 6-3 6-7 6-3 victory.<\/p>\n<p>Wimbledon fans have not seen the last of Williams, however, as she will team up with her older sister Venus in the women&#8217;s doubles event.<\/p>\n<p>There was a subdued atmosphere on Centre Court as fans excited to see Williams&#8217; return watched the American legend lose to struggling Joint.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"img-container shareable-item wp-caption\">\n<div class=\"img-wrap\">\n\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"594\" height=\"396\" src=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/GettyImages-2284063799.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=594\" class=\"article-image wp-image-28989789\" alt=\"Day Two: The Championships - Wimbledon 2026\" loading=\"lazy\" \/>\t<\/div><figcaption>Maya Joint beat tennis icon Serena Williams (Picture: Getty)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>But former British number one Croft was still impressed by Williams&#8217; level, insisting she played some &#8216;jaw-dropping&#8217; tennis given it was her first singles match in over four years.<\/p>\n<p>&#8216;For somebody who hasn&#8217;t played singles in four years I think it&#8217;s extraordinary the level she has already brought,&#8217; Croft said on BBC Radio 5 Live. &#8216;It is jaw-dropping.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>&#8216;I thought Maya Joint started to win the battle psychologically. Williams has played so well and there are a lot of players she would have beaten with this level &#8211; but her opponent was just inspired today.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"img-container shareable-item wp-caption\">\n<div class=\"img-wrap\">\n\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"646\" height=\"430\" src=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/SEI_303527390-4ca0.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=646\" class=\"article-image wp-image-28989676\" alt=\"US player Serena Williams returns the ball to Australia&apos;s Maya Joint during their women&apos;s singles first round tennis match on the second day of the 2026 Wimbledon Championships at The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, southwest London, on June 30, 2026. (Photo by HENRY NICHOLLS \/ AFP via Getty Images) \/ RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE\" loading=\"lazy\" \/>\t<\/div><figcaption>Williams won 23 Grand Slam titles (Picture: Getty)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&#8216;I feel like Joint has been so well prepared mentally for this match. She looked so focussed, unflustered and so clear of the tactics.&#8217;<\/p>\n<p>As Williams began to fall to a deflating defeat, fellow American tennis legend John McEnroe said on BBC One: &#8216;There is rather stunned silence here in not only the commentary booth but also in the crowd.<\/p>\n<p>&#8216;There was that easy backhand to go up 3-1 which was missed, but we all remembered it is Serena Williams. But then you remember she is 44 years old and it has been two hours and 15 minutes of play.<\/p>\n<p>&#8216;It is hard to digest and comprehend what&#8217;s happening because it does look like all of a sudden her energy levels have dropped completely.&#8217;<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>More to follow&#8230;<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"\"><strong>For more stories like this,\u00a0check our sport page<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\"><strong>Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on <strong>Facebook,\u00a0<\/strong><a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Metro_Sport\">Twitter<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Instagram<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<section id=\"share-buttons-bottom\" class=\"share-buttons share-buttons-bottom\">\n\t\t\t<span><\/p>\n<p><title>Comment now<\/title><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"share-bar-comments__label\">Comments<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t<span><title>Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google<\/title><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"share-bar-preferred-source__label\">Add as preferred source<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t<\/section>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><script async defer src=\"https:\/\/platform.instagram.com\/en_US\/embeds.js\"><\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><!-- \u603b\u5bb9\u5668\uff1a\u6700\u5927\u5bbd908px Grid\u7d27\u51d1\u5e03\u5c40 -->\r\n<div style=\"display: grid; grid-template-columns: 728px 160px; gap:2px; width:908px; background:#eee; padding:2px;\">\r\n\r\n  <!-- \u901a\u680f\u9876\u90e8\uff1a\u6700\u5927\u6a2a\u5e45 908x258 \u8de8\u6574\u884c -->\r\n  <div style=\"grid-column:1\/-1; height:258px; background:#ff6b6b; display:grid; place-items:center;\">\r\n    <!-- JuicyAds v3.0 -->\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\" data-cfasync=\"false\" async src=\"https:\/\/poweredby.jads.co\/js\/jads.js\"><\/script>\r\n<ins id=\"1114307\" data-width=\"908\" data-height=\"258\"><\/ins>\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\" data-cfasync=\"false\" async>(adsbyjuicy = window.adsbyjuicy || []).push({'adzone':1114307});<\/script>\r\n<!--JuicyAds END-->\r\n  <\/div>\r\n\r\n  <!-- \u7b2c\u4e8c\u901a\u680f\uff1a728\u00d790 \u901a\u680f -->\r\n  <div style=\"grid-column:1\/-1; height:90px; background:#4ecdc4; display:grid; place-items:center;\">\r\n    <!-- JuicyAds v3.0 -->\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\" data-cfasync=\"false\" async src=\"https:\/\/poweredby.jads.co\/js\/jads.js\"><\/script>\r\n<ins id=\"1114300\" data-width=\"728\" data-height=\"90\"><\/ins>\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\" data-cfasync=\"false\" async>(adsbyjuicy = window.adsbyjuicy || []).push({'adzone':1114300});<\/script>\r\n<!--JuicyAds END-->\r\n  <\/div>\r\n\r\n  <!-- \u5de6\u4fa7\u4e3b\u680f\uff1a\u591a\u5e7f\u544a\u5806\u53e0 -->\r\n  <div style=\"display:grid; 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display:grid; place-items:center;\">\r\n\t\r\n<!-- JuicyAds v3.0 -->\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\" data-cfasync=\"false\" async src=\"https:\/\/poweredby.jads.co\/js\/jads.js\"><\/script>\r\n<ins id=\"1114303\" data-width=\"125\" data-height=\"125\"><\/ins>\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\" data-cfasync=\"false\" async>(adsbyjuicy = window.adsbyjuicy || []).push({'adzone':1114303});<\/script>\r\n<!--JuicyAds END-->\r\n\t<\/div>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n\r\n  <!-- \u53f3\u4fa7\u7ad6\u680f\uff1a160\u00d7600 \u6574\u5217\u9ad8\u5e7f\u544a -->\r\n  <div style=\"grid-row:3\/8; height:600px;  display:grid; place-items:center;\">\r\n    <!-- JuicyAds v3.0 -->\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\" data-cfasync=\"false\" async src=\"https:\/\/poweredby.jads.co\/js\/jads.js\"><\/script>\r\n<ins id=\"1114301\" data-width=\"160\" data-height=\"600\"><\/ins>\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\" data-cfasync=\"false\" async>(adsbyjuicy = window.adsbyjuicy || []).push({'adzone':1114301});<\/script>\r\n<!--JuicyAds END-->\r\n  <\/div>\r\n\r\n<\/div><br \/>\n<br \/> BBC pundit makes Serena Williams claim after Wimbledon defeat<br \/>\n<br \/>#BBC #pundit #Serena #Williams #claim #Wimbledon #defeat<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Serena Williams during her Wimbledon comeback defeat (Picture: Getty) Annabel Croft says Serena Williams produced&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15882,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[2609,1459,316,12529,12118,3411,9494],"class_list":["post-15881","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports","tag-bbc","tag-claim","tag-defeat","tag-pundit","tag-serena","tag-williams","tag-wimbledon"],"featured_image_urls":{"full":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/GettyImages-2283509085_1782853046.jpg",1200,630,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/GettyImages-2283509085_1782853046-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/GettyImages-2283509085_1782853046-300x158.jpg",300,158,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/GettyImages-2283509085_1782853046-768x403.jpg",640,336,true],"large":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/GettyImages-2283509085_1782853046-1024x538.jpg",640,336,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/GettyImages-2283509085_1782853046.jpg",1200,630,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/GettyImages-2283509085_1782853046.jpg",1200,630,false],"covernews-slider-full":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/GettyImages-2283509085_1782853046-1115x630.jpg",1115,630,true],"covernews-slider-center":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/GettyImages-2283509085_1782853046-800x500.jpg",800,500,true],"covernews-featured":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/GettyImages-2283509085_1782853046-1024x538.jpg",1024,538,true],"covernews-medium":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/GettyImages-2283509085_1782853046-540x340.jpg",540,340,true],"covernews-medium-square":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/GettyImages-2283509085_1782853046-400x250.jpg",400,250,true]},"author_info":{"display_name":"admin","author_link":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/?author=1"},"category_info":"<a href=\"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/?cat=6\" rel=\"category\">Sports<\/a>","tag_info":"Sports","comment_count":"0","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15881","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=15881"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15881\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/15882"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=15881"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=15881"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=15881"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}