Djokovic Tells Critics to 'Cool Off' Serena
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- Djokovic urged fans to "cool off" on judgment of Williams, telling reporters: "Let's just enjoy the greatness, who she is, what she represents to the sport."
- Williams, 44, lost 6-3, 6-7 (6), 6-3 to Maya Joint of Australia in her first singles match in nearly four years but still served above 120 mph and dictated points with her groundstrokes.
- Williams announced Wednesday she tweaked her right knee toward the end of the first set, leaving her scheduled doubles match with sister Venus — the only first-round match not on Friday's schedule — in limbo for Saturday.
- Djokovic, a 39-year-old 24-time Grand Slam champion and seven-time Wimbledon winner like Williams, beat Stefanos Tsitsipas in straight sets on the same Centre Court Wednesday night.
- At the 2025 U.S. Open, Djokovic publicly challenged Williams to return to the tour — "When somebody challenges her, she never refuses" — a challenge she answered by taking a Wimbledon wild card.
- Williams and her sister received wild-card invitations for both singles and doubles, with the doubles opener against Colombia's Camila Osorio and Solana Sierra of Argentina still unscheduled as of Friday.
Why it matters: Djokovic's defense carries unusual weight: he is the only active player with seven Wimbledon titles to Williams' seven, and his public 2025 U.S. Open challenge is effectively why she came back to the tour. The unresolved question is whether her tweaked right knee scrubs the Venus doubles pairing, which could be their final match together.
