Australian No.1 Maya Joint has been handed the honour and exciting prospect of becoming the first player to face the great Serena Williams on her Wimbledon comeback. The 20-year-old Joint has been drawn to play the 44-year-old seven-time champion in the first round on Tuesday — and it represents a golden opportunity for the US-born, Queensland-based player.
Serena Williams' Return to Grand Slam Tennis
Williams is returning nearly four years since her last match at the 2022 US Open, which was also against an Australian — a defeat by Ajla Tomljanovic in New York. The 23-time grand slam singles champion was handed the final women’s singles wildcard by the All England Club in a sensational development after playing only two doubles matches in her recent comeback.
Considered perhaps the greatest player of all time, Williams will be facing last year’s Australian breakthrough star Joint, who has been having a torrid time this year. Joint, the world No.53, has dipped from her career-high of No.28 and has lost 13 of her past 14 matches, so presents an inviting target for Williams in a match set to be watched with fascination around the world.
Joint's Recent Form and Williams' Legacy
Incredibly, Williams won her first grand slam title six years before Joint was even born. Williams’ last singles match at Wimbledon came as a wildcard in 2022 when she lost to Frenchwoman Harmony Tan in the first round, and she hasn’t won a match there since 2019, when she lost in the final to Simona Halep.
Amid much fanfare, Williams made a winning return to the doubles court at the Queen’s Club Championship just over two weeks ago alongside Victoria Mboko, but an injury to the young Canadian halted their progress. She then lost in her next doubles match last week alongside Czech Karolina Muchova in Berlin, succumbing 6-4 6-4 to Erin Routliffe and Giuliana Olmos.
