By SOPHIA BAUM

Published: 04:14 BST, 30 June 2026 | Updated: 22:26 BST, 30 June 2026

An 11-year-old has died after contracting rabies from a bat, as health experts warned about how exposure to the rare virus can be missed.

The fatal encounter happened in Northern Ontario, Canada, where the boy had been staying during the summer of 2024.

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The child was peacefully sleeping before he suddenly awoke to find a bat perched directly on his face, covering his nose and mouth, according to the case report.

Without thinking, he swatted the animal away. His father captured it and released it back outside.

At the time, the family claimed they had no reason to believe there had been a bite, a scratch or any cause for concern.

The boy appeared completely normal, uninjured with no blood, no puncture marks and no visible trauma – so they did not seek urgent medical care. 

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Roughly 19 days later, the child began to feel unwell, developing symptoms such as persistent vomiting. 

What started as vague discomfort rapidly escalated into serious neurological illness, including bouts of tingling and numbness on one side of his face. 

An 11-year-old boy has died after he was exposed through skin-to-skin contact to a bat carrying rabies in Canada (stock)

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Due to the family’s insistence on no bite history, doctors initially explored more common causes but as his condition rapidly deteriorated, rabies was eventually diagnosed.

The delay in diagnosis meant the disease had already taken hold of his nervous system.

He was admitted to hospital and placed under intensive care but as with all symptomatic rabies cases, treatment could not halt the progression of the virus.

Despite more than two weeks of aggressive supportive care, his condition continued to worsen and life support was ultimately withdrawn.

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The child died, surrounded by his family. It marked Ontario’s first locally acquired human rabies infection since 1967.

The boy’s relatives agreed to publicize the case in the hope that it prevents another tragedy. 

Experts involved in the case say the most alarming aspect is how easily exposure to the virus can be missed.

Bats can carry rabies and their bites are often so microscopic that they leave no visible trace.

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The fatal incident happened in Northern Ontario. At the time, the child’s family suspected nothing ominous and continued with everyday life (stock)

‘It was important to us and to the family to take the opportunity to find learning experiences and lessons that we could take from his case to try and help spread awareness and understanding of rabies infection and risks,’ said Dr Brian Hummel, a pediatric infectious disease specialist involved in the case. 

He stressed that the absence of a wound doesn’t mean there was no exposure and warned that even brief skin contact, particularly on the face, should trigger immediate medical assessment for post exposure rabies treatment.

The case, published in the Canadian Medical Association’s Journal, is only one of a handful of instances of human rabies ever recorded in Canada.

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Bats are the leading cause of human rabies deaths in the United States despite under 1 percent of the wild species actually carrying the virus, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

A woman who died during a horrific alligator attack in central Florida on Sunday has been identified, with her terrifying final moments also detailed in a harrowing report.

Brittany Clark, 31, had been enjoying a hike in the picturesque Little Big Econ State Forest with her boyfriend and friend when they took a dip in a river just after 1.30pm. 

Chilling 911 audio from the scene previously revealed how an alligator stealthily approached the trio before viciously attacking Clark by tearing off both of her arms. 

Now, a medical examiner’s report obtained by the Daily Mail has given more details about Clark’s final moments, including how her boyfriend heroically fought the gator even as it dragged them both underwater into a ‘death roll’.  

A ‘death roll’ is a technique alligators use to subdue prey by violently twisting onto their backs before attempting to pull the victim underwater to drown them.  

The report describes how Chance Allison risked his life and eventually managed to pry his girlfriend from the gator’s jaws – but it was too late to save her. 

It also details how officials tracked down the 12-foot apex predator in the aftermath and ‘put it down’, before decapitating it and keeping its head as ‘evidence’.  

The horror unfolded when Clark, Allison, and an unnamed friend were swimming in ‘shoulder-deep water’ in the Econlockhatchee River close to a popular hiking trail. 

Clark had been enjoying a hike in the picturesque Little Big Econ State Forest with her boyfriend and friend when they took a dip in a river just after 1.30pm

‘While they were swimming an alligator grabbed (Clark) by her arm and began the “death roll”,’ the report reads. 

‘Her boyfriend Chance grabbed the alligator trying to get it to release her when it took them both underwater’. 

Allison managed to get the gator to release her arm ‘for a moment’ – but it seized its jaws on her other arm instead.

‘Chance attempted to bring them both to shore when the alligator finally let go and CPR was started on shore by her boyfriend, and 911 was called,’ the report states. 

The report did not state whether Allison grappled with the alligator before or after making the emergency call, but audio of the call suggests he dialed 911 while still fighting the predator.  

Screaming and crying could be heard in the harrowing recording, as Allison told call handlers he was ‘still trying to get her arms away from the alligator’s mouth’. 

Moments later, he told the operator that ‘both her arms, both her arms are off’, while her friend told them that one arm was ‘hanging by a thread.’ 

When the dispatcher asked where the other arm was, the woman replied: ‘Gone’. 

Clark’s boyfriend, Chance Allison, heroically tried to fight off the alligator, the report reveals

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The report describes how Allison risked his life and eventually managed to pry his girlfriend from the gator’s jaws – but it was too late to save her

Allison described the situation as ‘bad, real bad’ while urging responders to ‘please hurry… she’s losing a lot of…’ before his voice trailed off. 

The gator eventually ‘went away,’ Allison told the operator, before describing his girlfriend’s injuries as ‘horrible’.  

Allison said he had stepped in to help, and he dragged Clark out of the water with the help of her friend. 

‘We’re far off the trail, we’re off of a little launch area by the river… We need help now!’ he told the operator. 

‘You may see a helicopter. If you see it, just try and flag it down if you can,’ the operator responded.

Barr Street Trailhead, the popular hiking route where the horror unfolded, is now closed until further notice.

The vicious attack unfolded as the trio took a dip in the shallows of the Econlockhatchee River (pictured above) in Little Big Econ State Forest, 20 miles north-east of Orlando

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Clark’s Facebook page shows she was a big fan of the outdoors – pictured frequently on hikes and swimming in nature.  

The horrific incident marks the third alligator attack in central Florida over the last week.

Seven days before, a gator attack was reported at Rainbow River in Merriam County, and a child was injured in another incident in the same county on Saturday. 

Attacks on humans are rare in the US, according to the Florida Wildlife Commission, but alligators are more territorial during mating season, which lasts from April until the end of June.

The patient is thought to have been admitted on Tuesday morning (June 30)

A UK patient is in hospital and undergoing testing for a suspected case of the Ebola virus. A person at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow is currently being tested for the disease.

It comes after the World Health Organisation declared the disease outbreak a ‘public health emergency of international concern.’ If the case is confirmed, it’s understood to be the first in the UK since the recent outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The BBC reported that the patient was thought to have been admitted to the hospital on Tuesday morning (June 30). Public Health Scotland (PHS) said it was working closely with the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) to assess routes by which travellers may enter the UK from affected countries.

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A statement read: “There are currently no confirmed cases of Ebola in Scotland and the risk to the general public remains low.

“Public Health Scotland is working closely with UKHSA, to assess routes by which travellers may enter the UK from affected countries. The risk from people arriving in the UK from affected areas is low and the NHS has safe procedures in place for detecting and managing any such cases.

“PHS and NHS boards across Scotland have well established protocols for assessing and testing travellers arriving in the UK from areas affected by Ebola where necessary. Where required, contact tracing will occur and contacts may undergo clinical assessment and precautionary testing.

“The UKHSA Returning Workers Scheme (RWS) which aims to protect and monitor the health of those who may travel from the UK to affected areas for their work, has been activated. Organisations deploying workers to affected areas where they may be exposed to Ebola through their work, should register those workers with the scheme.”

There have been almost 700 confirmed cases of bundibugyo Ebola virus, the majority of which are in the Democratic Republic of Congo

Some 138 people have died, including two in neighbouring Uganda.

If confirmed it would be the first case in the UK since the outbreak in the DRC was declared a public health emergency of international concern by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

The UK has committed up to £21 million to support the local response to Ebola in DRC, helping to protect frontline workers and vulnerable communities.

HOUSTON (AP) — With Brazil trailing for much of the game and with extra time looming, Gabriel Martinelli came through in a big, big way at the World Cup.

Martinelli entered the game as a second-half substitute and put an end to Japan’s near-upset on Monday, scoring the winning goal late in injury time to give five-time champion Brazil a 2-1 victory and a spot in the round of 16.

The result was a showcase of Brazil’s Italian connections. Martinelli holds dual citizenship in Italy and Brazil, and the man who made the decision to change the team’s makeup was Carlo Ancelotti, an Italian who is the first European to coach the South American country’s national team.

“Above all else we wanted to freshen up the field because Martinelli has a lot of intensity as a player,” Ancelotti said through a translator. “When he goes in the match he’s always on his top game.”

Brazil will next face either the Ivory Coast or Norway on Sunday in East Rutherford, New Jersey, in the round of 16.

“We can never be content with what we’re doing,” Ancelotti said. “We’re doing a good job. We are performing. But you can never be content because we want to play better. We want to play at the highest level.”

Casemiro had earlier equalized for Brazil on a header in the 56th minute off an assist from Gabriel Magalhães after just missing another chance two minutes earlier. The shot sailed just out of the reach of the outstretched hand of Japan goalkeeper Zion Suzuki and into the net.

Kaishu Sano stole a misplaced pass at midfield and took it down the field before a right-footed shot from above the half circle put Japan ahead in the 29th minute.

“There is not not making mistakes because nobody is perfect,” Ancelotti said. “But you have to overcome it and you have to push it forward. The team did a good job of that in the second half.”

Vinícius Júnior, who has scored four goals so far in this year’s tournament, had a chance to put Brazil on top in the 58th minute but his shot from the left box was deflected by Suzuki and went off the far post.

Casemiro left in the first minute of second-half stoppage time with what appeared to be a leg injury.

Brazil had two chances to even the score early in the second half before breaking through. On the first one, Suzuki blocked a header from Bruno Guimarães in the 52nd minute. Soon after, Casemiro’s header bounced off a defender’s head and Suzuki’s face. Suzuki finished with four saves.

Brazil great Neymar didn’t play Monday after making his first appearance for the team since 2023 in the last game against Scotland. He played only 14 minutes in that 3-0 win after missing the first two group matches at the World Cup with a right calf injury.

“I was seriously considering putting him on the pitch,” Ancelotti said. “In the end, we did not need him.”

Japan has never won a knockout match at the World Cup, going 0-4 in the round of 16 — including also taking the lead the last two times in 2018 and 2022 before losing.

The win was Brazil’s 12th in 15 games against Japan. The teams have also played to two draws while Japan got its first win in the series in a friendly in Tokyo in October.

“The gap between us is closing now,” Japan coach Hajime Moriyasu said through a translator. “Brazil is a top-tier team and we’re definitely approaching that level.”

Then he mentioned the loss in Qatar four years ago before adding: “We have to up our game.”

This was a matchup between two countries with deep ties, with Brazil being home to about 2.7 million Japanese descendants, which is the largest Japanese population outside of Japan.

Those ties extend to soccer where Brazil superstar Zico moved to Japan in 1991 to play for Kashima Antlers and help build Japan’s professional soccer network. He coached the Japan national team from 2002-06, leading the team to the World Cup in 2006.

That team lost to Brazil 4-1 in the only previous meeting between the teams at the World Cup.

Brazil won Group C after a draw with Morocco and victories over Haiti and Scotland. Monday’s victory came on the anniversary of their first World Cup championship in Sweden in 1958, when a 17-year-old Pele scored two goals in the final against the host country.

Japan reached the round of 32 as runner-up in Group F after a draws with the Netherlands and Sweden and a win over Tunisia. The loss snaps a 10-game unbeaten streak dating back to a 2-0 loss to the United States in September.

___

See more of AP’s World Cup coverage here

Netflix has come under fire for apparently using artificial intelligence to recreate Gene Wilder’s voice in their new series based on Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory

Netflix has come under fire for apparently using artificial intelligence to recreate Gene Wilder’s voice in their new series based on Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. The late actor, who died in 2016 at the age of 83, famously played the title character in the 1971 adaptation of the Roald Dahl classic.

Now, the streaming service is set to launch Wonka’s The Golden Ticket, a reality series that invites players to step inside the famous factory and complete challenges.

A voiceover, which sounds very much like that of Wilder, says: “A whole new generation of real-life golden ticketholder will compete for a life-changing prize, or say a most unfortunate goodbye.

“Marvel at the magic you remember, and delight in my newest wonders beyond imagination…The most extraordinary competition on earth is about to begin. There’s no turning back now.” A group of entrants were then seen locking shocked and the trailer confirmed that the series will be released on September 23.

Fans were left unimpressed as they instantly recognised what sounded almost the late actor’s voice, assuming that it had been generated by AI. One fan wrote on X: “It almost sounds like gene wilder, but not really and is a plastic substitute that people will eat up because the robots have made them stupid, This is an obscenity.”

Another said: “Ain’t no way they ruining one of my favourite movies of all time with a show and a AI Gene Wilder,” whilst a third wrote: “I’m sure Gene Wilder who died 10 years ago gave his permission to use his voice for AI slop.”

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was first published in 1964 and followed an impoverished boy as he won the chance to visit Wonka’s chocolate factory and watched as four other spoiled children met their grisly end over the course of the day. The 1971 adaptation was filmed as a musical and featured songs like Pure Imagination, I Want It Now and The Candyman.

In 2005, Tim Burton released a remake with Johnny Depp as Wonka and Freddie Highmore as Charlie. The story was then adapted for the stage in 2013, and ran for a short period of time on both Broadway and the West End but closed amid mixed reviews.

In 2024, Timothée Chalamet stepped into the role of the factory owner in a prequel film, alongside an all-star cast made up of Rowan Atkinson, Olivia Colman, and Hugh Grant.

The celebrated children’s author was also behind other classics such as Matilda, The Twits, and James’ Giant Peach, and Netflix acquired The Roald Dahl Story Company in 2021.

Earlier this year, Netflix revealed that upcoming animation feature due was to release sometime in 2027. At the time, it was confirmed that Heartstopper star Kit Connor is set to lead the voice cast.

He will be joined by comedic actor and filmmaker Taika Waititi, known for directing and starring in Jojo Rabbit and Thor Ragnarok. They will both feature in Charlie vs. the Chocolate Factory.

The Netflix original is directed by experienced animated filmmakers Jared Stern and Elaine Bogan. Between them they have previously helmed The Lego Batman Movie, Spirit Untamed and Trollhunters.

According to the synopsis, Willy Wonka has spent the years since the Golden Ticket contest behind bars for the crime of turning a child into a blueberry. Having served his time, Wonka returns to his factory determined to add a little sweetness to a bitter world. But one thing stands in his way: teenager Charlie Paley and his friends.

Facing eviction, this next generation of “rotten” kids plot to break into the factory, nab a priceless Wonka Bar, and save their homes. But like many before them who enter the fantastical world of the factory, these kids are in for a bit more than they can chew.

The story is said to be set in modern day London, and the makers hope it retains the quintessential British charm synonymous with Roald Dahl’s original work while featuring a new adventure, original songs, brand new characters and some surprises. Netflix hopes this new chapter set in the world of Wonka will introduce a new generation to its universe and characters.

Kit Connor said: “I’m so excited to enter the wonderful world of Wonka. I was immediately caught by the early concept art, and the directors’ vision for the film – capturing the spirit and heart that made the original story so special, whilst imbuing it with something so fresh and unique. It’s such a fun representation of the London that I know. This new adventure is going to surprise audiences around the world, you’re in for a treat!”

The Mirror has reached out to Netflix for comment

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By PATRICK HARRINGTON, UK NEWS REPORTER and

Published: 21:29 BST, 30 June 2026 | Updated: 22:04 BST, 30 June 2026

A female prison officer caught having a relationship with a convicted murderer at a maximum security prison has been jailed.

Rebecca Green, 29, was working at HMP Whitemoor when she struck up a relationship with inmate John Otugade in October 2022.

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Otugade, 33, is serving a life sentence with a minimum term of 25 years for shooting dead a nightclub bouncer in 2010 after being refused entry.

Cambridge Police said suspicions were raised about Green in the spring of 2023, and Otugade was moved to HMP Belmarsh in south-east London while an investigation took place.

Officers searched Green’s car and seized her mobile phone, which unearthed messages that gave away the relationship.

Otugade also had a number added to his approved contacts list inside the prison under the name ‘partner’.

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This number was later found to match a phone belonging to Green.

Green, of Holbeach, Lincolnshire, pleaded guilty to misconduct in a public office at an earlier hearing.

Prison officer Rebecca Green, 29, has been jailed for a year and four months after she was caught having a relationship with an inmate 

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She struck up a relationship with John Otugade, 33, who is serving a life sentence for shooting dead a London nightclub bouncer

She was sentenced at Cambridge Crown Court on June 24 to one year and four months in prison.

Detective Constable Tom Adams, who investigated, said: ‘As a prison officer, you have a responsibility to keep prisoners and your colleagues safe.

‘This was a serious breach of Green’s responsibilities, and she failed to consider the potential impact on the security and safety of the staff and prisoners and how her actions undermined the work of the prison.

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‘This sentence shows how seriously the police and courts take such breaches.’

Green’s crime is an increasingly familiar story in the UK’s prison system.

The number of women prison officers fired for having ‘inappropriate’ relationships with male inmates has trebled in recent years. 

Figures show that 40 female wardens have been fired in the past four years after it was found that they were having behind-bar flings with imprisoned criminals.

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Over the same period, there was just one case where a male officer was fired for having an affair with a woman inmate.

The Ministry of Justice also revealed there were a handful of cases where an officer was fired after illicit same sex relationships.

Another recent offender was Kyra Dancer, 23, also charged with misconduct in a public office amid accusations she had an ‘inappropriate relationship’ with an inmate.

Ms Dancer was employed by G4S and worked at their Wellingborough facility, which has been dubbed ‘Britain’s cushiest jail’.

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Dancer, of Rushden, is accused of ‘wilfully and without reasonable excuse or justification misconducting’ herself.

The ringleader of a notorious Rochdale grooming gang is set to be released from jail this week and cannot be deported, his victims have been told.

Shabir Ahmed, 73, known to his victims as “Daddy”, had dual British-Pakistani citizenship but was stripped of the former following his conviction in 2012 for multiple counts of rape and sexual offences against girls.

Documents shared online, reportedly from the Probation Service to one of his victims, state that he will be released on Thursday.

The Home Office said Ahmed’s crimes were “appalling” and that he would be subject to stringent licence conditions upon his release from prison.

Ahmed must initially live in supervised accommodation 24/7 and will be subject to an “exclusion zone” centred on Rochdale.

The papers published online said Ahmed cannot be deported back to Pakistan due to provisions under the Immigration Act 1971.

The act says because Ahmed arrived in the UK before 1973 and lived in the country for at least five years before his deportation was considered, his removal is barred.

Following the news, one of the Rochdale gang’s victims told how she has been left feeling “scared for my safety”.

The girl, who was sexually abused from the age of 12, told BBC Newsnight Ahmed was well-known in Rochdale, Oldham and Middleton.

“Even if he is not in those areas, he still knows people and could contact them, which makes me feel unsafe,” she said.

“At the end of the trial, we were told they would all be deported once released, but not one of them has been deported.

“There are always false promises.”

A Primark purse has been recalled after a chemical health hazard fear.

A brown colour block coin purse sold by the fast fashion retailer for £6 has been recalled after a chemical risk from the textile.

The UK’s product safety watchdog issued an alert today to recall the product due to it ‘presenting a serious chemical risk.’

It has been found to contain excessive concentrations of phthalates, a chemical often used to make products more durable.

The chemical found on the purse are called Dibutyl phthalate (DBP), Bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), and Short Chain Chlorinated Paraffins (SCCPs).

The Office for Product Safety and Standards said: ‘Phthalates are harmful to health and may cause damage to the reproductive system.’

The product does not meet UK chemical regulations designed to protect human health and the environment.

The purses were manufactured in China, the recall notice says.

What to do if you have bought the purse

Customers who bought the purse should stop using it immediately and keep the product out of reach of children, the watchdog says.

It can be returned to any Primark store for a full refund.

Customers can contact the retailer through its help centre and live chat function.

The affected purses’ model code is 3103002 and the barcode is 991169270

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, check our news page.

The Prince of Wales got stuck in helping a tenant furnish his new flat

The Prince of Wales has contributed to turning a flat into a home, declaring his project to prevent homelessness can be “embedded” across society.

Marking the third year of his five-year Homewards initiative, Prince William has helped furnish a new flat to make it into a home for a housing association tenant. The flat, in Aberdeen, is in one of the six areas of the country where William is trying to create a template to eradicate all forms of homelessness.

The future king carried a dining room chair up three flights of stairs to the one-bedroom flat on the outskirts of the city, with Langstane Housing Association staff fetching the other three. He was also given a brief tour of the accommodation.

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In a major speech at London’s Tate Modern earlier, William spoke about the progress made since he launched Homewards in 2023. He said: “Three years on, Homewards has helped more than 73 people into stable housing, supported more than 250 people into employment and reached thousands before they reached crisis.

“These aren’t just statistics. They are people who have a home, a job, and a future that looked very different only a few years ago.

“And crucially, people are being supported earlier, in schools, in the workplace, in their communities, so homelessness never becomes part of their story. Across our work, we’ve helped thousands of people to reduce their risk of falling into crisis.

“By trialling new approaches, Homewards is demonstrating how prevention can be embedded across every part of our society. Proving that our true strength emerges not in isolation, but in a shared purpose that makes us greater than the sum of our parts.

“Where services work together around people’s lives, rather than in silos.”

Homewards works in six locations – Newport, Lambeth, Belfast, Aberdeen, Sheffield and the three neighbouring Dorset towns of Poole, Bournemouth and Christchurch – with the aim of delivering bespoke solutions to homelessness issues in each area.

Over the past three years, Homewards has invested £1.9 million across its six locations. Organisers also said another £3.5 million has been leveraged through grants and private philanthropy, while a further £2.3 million worth of surplus goods has been used to furnish Homewards homes.

The furniture in the Aberdeen flat, whose tenant will sign their agreement with Langstane on Wednesday, was provided by organisations and businesses like Ikea who are supporting the prince’s homeless initiative. They also donated cleaning products and home appliances like vacuum cleaners and air fryers.

In the housing association’s offices, close to the flat he visited, William also filled a bag-for-life destined for a new home with cleaning products. As he worked, he said: “All that makes them feel like it’s a home, not somewhere they’ve got to stay.”

When Helen Gauld, Langstane’s chief executive, mentioned air fryers the balding prince also joked “some of us don’t need hair dryers”.

The event follows Princess Kate also taking on the gruelling Three Peaks Challenge this weekend, which she completed to raise money for a cancer charity and to “explore life beyond diagnosis”. Following the challenge, Kate also made a donation an an 11-year-old wheelchair user, named Ted, who she met while climbing Ben Nevis.

Donating to Ted’s cause on Just Giving, she left a message which read: “One of the real highlights of the Three Peaks Challenge was meeting inspiring people like you along the way. Huge congratulations to Ted, Pete and the entire team for raising money for such a wonderful cause.”

Serena Williams made an emotional return to Wimbledon, competing in the singles draw at a tournament for the first time in four years, in front of her family on Tuesday. 

The 44-year-old icon sealed a remarkable comeback to the sport when she took to Centre Court at Wimbledon to face World No 87 Maya Joint in the first round after accepting a wildcard entry to the Grand Slam.  

Many had been wondering whether – in the era of Naomi Osaka‘s catwalks entrances – she’d make a dramatic arrival. But the 23-time Grand Slam champion chose not to join the growing Wimbledon fashion show as she kept it simple on her long-awaited return to the All England Club. 

Williams, a seven-time singles champion at Wimbledon, was calm and collected as she strolled confidently out onto the heart of SW19. 

The crowd inside the iconic court broke out into a raucous round of applause, wildly cheering the tennis legend. Not that Williams would have heard. She kept her head down, ears covered by a pair of pale pink headphones.

Yet, no amount of soundproofing could have drowned out the eruption of cheers minutes later when she claimed the first point of the match on her opponent’s serve. 

The legend was supported by her husband Alexis Ohanian and their two daughters 

Tuesday’s first-round clash marks her return to SW19 for the first time in four years

It was tough not to feel for Joint, the echoing cheers making it clear that, even after a four-year hiatus, Williams was still very much the favorite and the Australian the underdog. 

At just 20 years old, Joint is part of the new generation of female tennis players who have never before faced Williams on the court. 

Tuesday’s first-round clash marked Williams’ return to SW19 and singles action for the first time in four years after having publicly stepped away from the sport following the 2022 US Open. 

In the time since she ‘evolved’ away from the sport, Williams welcomed her second daughter, Adira, with Alexis Ohanian, who was in her box to cheer her on. 

The two-year-old defied Wimbledon’s age restrictions for Centre Court to sit alongside her dad and older sister Olympia, eight, and watch her mom compete at SW19 for the first time. 

Wimbledon traditionally enforces an age limit of five and above to attend the show courts. However, exceptions were evidently made for the daughter of a seven-time winner.

Williams’ posse of supporters was rounded out by her sister Venus and new brother-in-law, Italian actor Andrea Preti, whom Venus wed last year. 

The sisters will form a powerful duo later in the week when they team up in the doubles draw, where they have found formidable success in the past, winning six times. 

Ohanian sat in Williams’ box with Adria, two (left), and Olympic, eight, (right) 

Williams’ youngest applauds her legendary mom as Ohanian lifts her up in the player’s box 

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Her sister Venus and new brother-in-law, Italian actor Andrea Preti, were also in attendance 

Williams faced World No 87 Maya Joint in the first round of the Grand Slam tournament 

For now, though, Serena had her own success to focus on. It appeared her comeback was destined to collapse just eight games into the first set when Joint broke her serve. 

The cameras panned to the player’s box when an anxious Ohanian could be seen pumping his fists on the top of the railing. His wife displayed a similar explosion of determination moments later when she went 0-15 up on Joint’s serve, erupting into a passionate cry.

It wasn’t enough, however, to stall Joint’s momentum, the Australian taking the first set comfortably 6-3.

Williams’ renowned grit and determination did make its signature appearance in the second set, however. Staring down an early exit in straight sets, Williams clung on, breaking back Joint’s serve not once but twice to force a tie-break and ultimately win the second. 

Long before the days of Osaka’s catwalk entrances, Williams was renowned as a tennis fashionista, having walked out in a white trench coat in 2008 as well as a detachable train to her outfit that featured one long sleeve in 2021.

Williams also famously caused controversy when she wore a bright purple headband in 2012 despite Wimbledon’s strict all-white dress code.

Yet despite that, she stepped out on to Centre Court for her opening round match with Maya Joint in a simple Nike white mesh jacket, over a matching co-ord top and skirt.

It was nothing on the grand entrance made by Osaka for her opening match, which saw the Japanese star sport a kimono inspired by Lucy Liu’s character from the film Kill Bill.

Nor, too, the custom all-white Hugo Boss suit worn by American Taylor Fritz, who did his best Roger Federer impression as he strolled out for his opening-round match.

Proud Venus appeared to film her sister’s blockbuster entrance onto Centre Court 

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Williams stepped out in a simple Nike white mesh jacket, over a matching co-ord top and skirt

The crowd inside Centre Court erupted into cheers as Williams and Joint stepped out 

The 23-time Grand Slam winner let out a roar after claiming a point in the first set 

Fritz channelled his inner Federer with matching white holdall, which drew instant comparisons with the iconic outfit worn by the eight-time Wimbledon champion.

The 44-year-old began her comeback to tennis – four years after her last professional match – at the Queen’s Club’s HSBC Championships, where she won a round before being forced out by an injury to her partner Victoria Mboko.

Williams had previously hinted at a potential return to the grass courts after kicking off her competitive tennis comeback in the doubles draw alongside Venus. 

While many questioned if the veteran still possesses her titan talent, others may be more focused on the question mark over one particular detail of her preparation -whether Williams has continued to use GLP-1 jabs managed by telehealth company Ro, of which she became a vocal paid spokesperson for last year.

The seven-time Wimbledon champion’s husband Ohanian sits on the company’s board and was an early investor. As recently as this February Williams, the company’s celebrity face, featured in a Super Bowl advert for the brand and its Zepbound tirzepatide jab, which is also marketed under the name Mounjaro.

Williams, who is said to have lost close to two and a half stone, or 34 pounds (15kg) using the drug, previously called her challenge to lose weight following the birth of her two children ‘the one opponent (she) couldn’t beat’.

It remains unclear as to whether Williams has continued to use the drug, which also treats symptoms of diabetes, with her publicist declining to comment when asked by the Atlantic.

But although GLP-1s are not banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), they are one of the drugs under ongoing investigation as to whether they might be classed as performance-enhancing in the future.

Williams has previously been outspoken on her use of weight-loss medication through her role as an ambassador for Ro

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Williams made her return to tennis and dominated at the Queen’s Club at the start of the month

Although Williams would be the first athlete to publicly use a GLP-1 if she was still using Zepbound, tennis has an existing relationship with weight-loss jabs, with semaglutide Ozempic a surprising sponsor at last year’s Canadian Open. 

Before being able to announce her comeback, Williams had to return to the anti-doping testing pool. 

However, the tennis legend took aim at the regulations when asked about returning to the pool on Sunday. 

‘It’s grueling. They changed the rules now. I didn’t know some of the rules. So apparently if you miss a test outside of your window, it still counts as missed. I’m like, I guess I can’t go pick up my kids,’ said the seven-time Wimbledon champion, a mother of two.

‘It’s unprofessional. I hate it. I think it’s necessary, but I think a lot of the stuff, if I want to go places outside of my window, I should be able to go without having it count as a missed test.’

Players are required by the International Tennis Integrity Agency to provide their daily ‘whereabouts’ for no-notice testing.

Williams described it as ‘unreasonable.’

‘That was a big reason why I didn’t want to come back either,’ she said, ‘because it’s just so hard. I mean, my life is busy, I run a company, I run a VC company, I travel the world. I have children. It’s like I could be in so many different cities so many different times.’