Williams falls just short on epic Wimbledon singles return

Serena Williams came close to a sensational comeback win on her Wimbledon return before narrowly losing an epic three-setter to Maya Joint. Four years ago, the American great waved what many thought would be a final goodbye to Centre Court after a first-round loss to France's Harmony Tan. But on Tuesday, the 44-year-old received an electric reception as she stepped back onto the pristine grass courts on which she won seven singles and six women's doubles titles. And, 1,462 days after her last point at the All England Club, Williams demonstrated her never-give-up mentality to save a match point and force a deciding set against a player 24 years her junior. Despite the crowd's best attempts to help Williams open the latest chapter of her tennis career with victory, Australia's Joint held firm to claim a 6-3 6-7 (6-8) 6-3 win. Williams congratulated Joint at the net before lapping up the ovation that came her way as she made her exit. The 23-time Grand Slam singles champion made her competitive return in the women's doubles earlier this month, almost four years after saying she was "evolving" away from the sport. While she showed glimpses of her former self alongside Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko at Queen's and Karolina Muchova in Berlin, questions remained over how Williams would fare physically on her return to singles. …