The Japan Times - Serena set for remarkable Wimbledon return

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

Williams plays a professional singles match for the first time since "evolving away" from tennis in 2022 when she takes on Australian youngster Maya 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.

Williams will become the second-oldest player to feature in the Wimbledon women's singles in the Open era, after nine-time champion Martina Navratilova who reached the second round aged 47 in 2004.

The American 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.

- Swiatek looking for form -

First on Centre Court, 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, hammering Amanda Anisimova 6-0, 6-0 in the final.

Anisimova made a solid start in her bid to go one better than last year, cruising to a 6-3, 6-2 win on Tuesday against Lina Gjorcheska, the first North Macedonian to ever qualify for a Grand Slam.

After 10 British players were knocked out on Monday, Katie Swan gave the host nation their first win of the tournament by beating Irina-Camelia Begu, although Katie Boulter was knocked out by Grand Slam debutant Tyra Caterina Grant of Italy.

Second seed Elena Rybakina, the 2022 champion bidding to take the world number one ranking from Sabalenka, is also in action later.

- Zverev hoping to banish grass demons -

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 Alexander Blockx.

American sixth seed Taylor Fritz, who reached the semi-finals last year, takes on Dusan Lajovic on Court One.

Three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka starts his final Wimbledon appearance against former runner-up Matteo Berrettini.

M.Fujitav--JT