She grew up watching Serena Williams dominate tennis. Now, Australian young gun Maya Joint has the chance to ruin one of the most anticipated comebacks in Wimbledon history.
The 20-year-old Queensland representative will walk onto Centre Court for the first Grand Slam singles match of Williams’ comeback, thrusting one of Australia’s brightest young talents into the global spotlight.
Even Joint admits she could barely believe it when she discovered who was waiting for her on the other side of the net.
‘I was surprised, I was excited. I never thought I would get to play against her,’ Joint said.
‘She stopped playing when I was starting on the circuit, so yes, when I saw she received the invitation, I think there was a small part of me that always wanted to experience playing against her.
‘If someone told me 10 years ago that I would play Serena Williams in the first round of Wimbledon, I thought, that would be ridiculous.’
Australian rising star Maya Joint admits drawing Serena Williams felt like a surreal ‘pinch me’ moment before Wimbledon showdown
Williams will launch her Grand Slam singles comeback on the lawns of the famous England courts
Joint moved to Australia aged 16 and quickly became one of the nation’s brightest young tennis prospects on tour
The Wimbledon draw itself was almost too much to watch.
Joint and her coach initially followed the ceremony before switching it off as the nerves kicked in. When her coach later revealed she would face Williams, she thought he was joking.
‘I was sitting with my coach and I thought he was pulling my leg because he told me, ‘oh, you’re going to play against Serena Williams.’ I thought, no, you’re kidding me.’
It wasn’t until Australian tennis great Sam Stosur sent her a message confirming the draw that reality sank in.
‘Then Sam Stosur messaged me saying I would play against Serena Williams. Okay, great. I think it’s a ‘pinch me’ moment.’
While many casual sports fans are only now discovering Joint, she has been regarded as one of Australia’s most promising young players for several years.
Born in Grosse Pointe, Michigan, Joint is the daughter of Australian father Michael and German mother Katja, who were both professional squash players.
She moved to Australia at 16 to train at Tennis Australia’s National Academy in Brisbane before relocating to Melbourne in 2025.
Joint said Aussie Sam Stosur was her ‘rock’ while helping rebuild confidence during a difficult run of results before Wimbledon
Joint hopes to spoil Serena Williams’ long-awaited Wimbledon comeback in front of packed Centre Court
She briefly committed to the University of Texas before choosing to pursue professional tennis full-time after an eligibility dispute involving US Open prize money.
The decision proved a turning point.
Joint enjoyed a stunning breakthrough during 2025, climbing from outside the world’s top 600 into the top 40 in little more than a year while collecting two WTA titles.
She also became the youngest Australian to win a W75 singles title before reaching a career-high world ranking of No.28 in February this year.
Her momentum has slowed in recent months, with a run of defeats seeing her ranking slide to No.87 heading into Wimbledon.
Throughout that difficult spell, she has leaned on Stosur, Australia’s 2011 US Open champion, who has become a mentor as Joint works to rediscover the form that made her one of the tour’s fastest-rising players.
Joint recently described Stosur as her ‘rock’, while the former world No.4 believes her protégé is well equipped to handle the occasion.
‘I was trying to make sure she understood that nearly every player has been through what she’s been suffering,’ Stosur said.
‘She had such an incredible rise from 24 months ago, moving up from 600 in the rankings to the top 40 within a year, that it was all upwards then.
‘It was always going to be a little bit of a challenge, potentially, to make that happen the second year round.’
Stosur said Joint’s recent struggles should be viewed as a normal part of a young player’s development rather than a cause for concern.
‘Everyone’s been through tough times in their career, but she’ll bounce back, absolutely, no doubt in my mind, whatever happens in this match,’ she said.
‘My message to her would be ‘don’t make it too complicated’. At the end of the day, it’s still just lines and a ball that you have to hit in – so enjoy that, embrace that.
‘There’s going to be no bigger match than this for Maya – so go out there and love it.’
