Updated July 1, 2026 — 11:23am,first published 7:14am
London: No one gave Maya
Joint a chance. At least anyone not Australian, or with a foot in
Joint’s camp. They were wrong.
Faced with the daunting prospect of being Serena Williams’
first opponent in her celebrated
Wimbledon comeback as a 44-year-old mother-of-two – after almost four
years away – Joint shocked the world with a 6-3, 6-7 (6-8), 6-3 victory over
the former world No.1.
Maya Joint at age 7, after winning her first tournament, and
on Tuesday (AEST) celebrating her win over Serena Williams at Wimbledon.
There were no histrionics. That
is not Joint’s style.
Instead, she rose her arms in triumph, shared a polite
handshake with Williams, then had a moment of introspection at her courtside
chair as she soaked up a career-best win. Her overjoyed mum, Katja, was up in
the stands and held aloft Joint’s stuffed toy, “Doggy”.
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“I really don’t know what to say right now. I don’t know
what just happened,” a disbelieving Joint said.
“I didn’t get much sleep last night. I was up until like 2am
just thinking about it. I forgot the warm-up. I don’t know what happened, my
legs weren’t moving, and I don’t know how I got a pretty good start in the
match.
![Joint’s mum Katja with ‘Doggy’ in the stands at Wimbledon. “I’ve had him since I was really little. I travel with him everywhere I go,” Joint said. “Every time that mum comes with me for a tournament, she takes him in the bag, so he can watch the match. But when I’m by myself, I don’t ask Chris [Mahony, her coach] to take ‘Doggy’. Maybe that’s why I’ve been losing? I need Chris to take ‘Doggy’.”](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiayjVX9-HDrYGtcqOeiP5BlgatjFFTASmuD2tHqZxdSE1I9IjSLX48vMgoqOQMniqNEY_tVtX8Xb0rjCkOH7wtJDcQidYZYncfK2Iu9uta0wjaSqh3C21yNc6ZcGr3Wk2BO93aXvjLGPPpDqqLos_NjAxQHyAfAS5Z4do2b9H3k32vvyFvYOFt17JHdDI)
Joint’s mum Katja with ‘Doggy’ in the stands at Wimbledon.
“I’ve had him since I was really little. I travel with him everywhere I go,”
Joint said. “Every time that mum comes with me for a tournament, she takes him
in the bag, so he can watch the match. But when I’m by myself, I don’t ask
Chris [Mahony, her coach] to take ‘Doggy’. Maybe that’s why I’ve been losing? I
need Chris to take ‘Doggy’.”Stan
“She has such an aura, she’s such a legend, and so many big
names have played on this court. I’ve been dreaming about this moment since I
was a little kid, so it’s crazy.”
Having twice been up a set and a break, Joint had every
reason to drown in self-doubt as the American legend stormed back to snatch the
second set, then go up a break herself in the final set. An already electrified
crowd was beside itself by that stage.
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Then came the twist, and reality check.
Joint was the ascending star, not Williams, who became
increasingly vulnerable in the latter stages of her career before she retired
in defeat to Australia’s Ajla Tomljanovic at the 2022 US Open.
2:22
Serena's Wimbledon comeback derailed by young Aussie
Serena Williams is defeated in three sets by Australian
young gun Maya Joint at Wimbledon.
Even so, it was remarkable how Joint continued to absorb a
mountain of pressure. Equally, it was understandable – at least in hindsight –
that Williams was unable to complete the job after so many years away from this
cauldron.
Speaking to this masthead afterwards, Joint said she was
nowhere near as calm as she looked.
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“I was a bit panicky and a bit frustrated that I didn’t
close it out when I had the chance [in the second set], and I had a lot of
break points in one of the pretty important games that I ended up losing,” she
said.
“I was mad that I didn’t take my chances, especially against
someone like her.”
Serena Williams and Maya Joint shake hands at the net.Getty
Images
It was brilliant sporting theatre: a tennis giant still so
respected and feared that the expectation was she would steamroll a rising
star. Even Mirra Andreeva, Roland-Garros champion mere weeks ago, admitted she
would not want to be in Joint’s position.
To most, the red-headed Australian string bean was live meat
for Williams to demolish in a triumphant return to Wimbledon’s centre court,
where she won seven of her 23 grand slam titles.
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But Joint and her coach, Chris Mahony, made a pact that she
was not going to back down to Williams, who made a career out of intimidating
opponents with her extraordinary presence.
“I knew she would have big serves, but I had to punch back,
and show her that I’m not going to go away, and that I’m not scared of her,
even though I was,” Joint told this masthead before breaking into laughter.
“I tried to bluff it a little bit with my tennis, but I had
to be aggressive, and even if I missed the return, it still sends a better
message than if I pop up a shot in the middle of the court, and she hits a
winner.”
Almost everyone inside the stadium – outside Joint’s squad
of blue-clad Tennis Australia support staff, her proud mum, and agent Jedd
Zetzer – were desperate for a Williams win, and they whipped themselves into a
frenzy as she staged a second-set comeback.
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Fans jumped to their feet for a standing ovation at their
first sight of Williams as she strode purposefully onto centre court, dwarfing
Joint with her famed and still-imposing physique.
Joint said later that standing in the hallway with Williams
before walking out was the “craziest” moment of her life. That is without even
mentioning the wider gulf in their on-court achievements.
Serena Williams was electric as ever in her Wimbledon
return. AP Photo/Maja Smiejkowska
The initial ovation lasted more than a minute, without a
noticeable acknowledgment from a locked-in Williams, then the crowd roared
again as she walked to the net for the coin toss, gyrating as she readied for
battle with an opponent 24 years her junior.
The reaction was unlike anything else heard at this year’s
Wimbledon championships, and the enthusiasm never dulled.
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There was an understanding that this was a special occasion,
even if the regularly star-filled Royal Box failed to drag out any mega
celebrities.
What quickly became obvious was that Joint was not going to
meekly relent to the Serena show. Despite landing only two of six first serves,
the young Aussie managed to grind out a hold. 1-0 Joint. It was a tick for her
first test.
Joint was inside the top 30 as a teenager at the start of
this year, but less was made of that in the lead-up to this showdown, and more
of how she had suffered through a 10-match losing streak and won just once in
her past 14 contests.
Overlooked in the pre-match commentary that dismissed
Joint’s chances was how she nursed a back injury for much of that time. Fit
again, she seems ready to relaunch, starting with a second-round date with
Filipino Alexandra Eala, who Joint beat in a thrilling Eastbourne final on
grass last year.
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This might turn out to be the most significant moment in her
fledgling career, given the opponent, the moment and her form line. Anyone who
did not know, or believe in, Joint before Tuesday night certainly does now.
Through six thoroughly entertaining games, Joint flayed
seven winners to Williams’ three, and refused to back down. Neither player had
bent to the pressure at that stage, but that moment was soon coming.
Joint produced a magnificent display in the biggest match of
her life.Getty Images
Incredibly, it was Williams who blinked first, crashing a
backhand into the net to give Joint the chance to serve for a one-set lead.
After another tense game, she swatted a forehand for a 10th winner to go 6-3
up.
The “upset” was on, even more so after Joint walloped a
backhand winner to break immediately in the second set.
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By then, the decibels on Williams’ grunts were louder. Every
trick in the book was coming out. Meanwhile, the pro-Serena crowd did
everything possible to lift their champion across the line.
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