Serena Williams has avoided a Wimbledon fine despite deciding to not attend her mandatory post-match press conference.
The 44-year-old made her return to SW19 on Tuesday night for her first-round match against Maya Joint, having accepted a wildcard into the singles draw.
Williams had the Centre Court crowd behind her but it was not enough. While much of her power remained and the champion instincts kicked in at times, her movement proved too limited.
Joint sealed a 6-3 6-7 6-3 victory to ensure Williams' wait for a first Wimbledon win since 2019 goes on.
It was a late finish on Centre Court, Joint wrapping up the win at just before 10pm, and it was expected that both players would then conduct their obligatory post-match media duties.
However, Wimbledon announced the news 45 minutes later that Williams would not be undertaking any media. Instead, a quote attributed to her was shared.
"It was really great to be back at Wimbledon," it read.
"I never expected to be here. The atmosphere was amazing. Walking out was amazing. I definitely relished it and missed it and enjoyed the moment more than anything."
That left Williams open to a heavy fine.
The Grand Slam rulebook states “unless unable to appear on reasonable grounds (for instance illness or injury)”, players must attend post-match press conferences. Violating that can lead to a fine of up to $50,000 (£37,730).
However, the All England Club decided Williams' decision was "reasonable" and that she satisfied some obligations by providing a quote.
The rulebook also says that "if a player is unable to appear, the appropriate level of direct communication is requested".
Williams will be back at Wimbledon on Thursday or Friday for the first round of the women's doubles alongside her sister Venus.
