Serena Williams stepped back onto the singles court after nearly four years away, and while she pushed the match to three sets, she fell to 20-year-old Australian Maya Joint on Tuesday in the opening round at Wimbledon.

The 23-time Grand Slam singles champion lost 6-3, 6-7, 6-2 on Centre Court. Williams, 44, had a tough opening set with Joint taking it in 35 minutes. Williams found her rhythm in the second set, breaking Joint’s serve three consecutive times. The set went to a tiebreak, where Williams rallied from down a break twice to force that final third set. Joint, a Michigan-born Australian player, ultimately pulled away to secure the victory against the seven-time Wimbledon singles champion.

The crowd on Centre Court gave Williams a warm welcome. Her husband, Alexis Ohanian, and their daughters, Olympia, 8, and Adira, 2, were right there in the stands watching.

During a pre-tournament press conference on Sunday, Williams admitted that she initially doubted her decision to make this return before pulling the trigger.

"I thought I should really take this opportunity," Williams said. "Who knows if I’ll ever make it here again. This could be it."

She added that she had to give herself a real pep talk before committing to the tournament, questioning her own hesitation and telling herself she needed to get out there and play.

Before the opening round, Williams talked about her headspace in an interview with ESPN reporter Malika Andrews. Williams said she felt calm and wanted to focus on enjoying the experience rather than letting the pressure get to her, a big shift from how she used to approach these tournaments.

Williams is not done with the tournament just yet. She is playing doubles alongside her sister, Venus Williams, 46. The pair will face Camila Osorio and Solana Sierra on Thursday.