Maya Joint admitted she was awake until 2 a.m. Tuesday, dealing with nerves over her impending Wimbledon match against Serena Williams.Maja Smiejkowska/The Associated Press
From the moment she stepped on to Wimbledon’s Centre Court Tuesday evening, Serena Williams had the crowd in her hands.
This was supposed to be her night. Her first singles match in nearly four years and the start of an improbable comeback at the age of 44. The crowd couldn’t wait for this moment of tennis history and they greeted her with a standing ovation and shouts of “Go Serena.”
Her opponent, 20-year-old Maya Joint from Australia, looked shell-shocked as she tried to warm up and shake off thoughts of facing the 23-time Grand Slam champion who’d also won seven times here. Until now, Joint had only ever won two matches at a Grand Slam in her life, and she was ranked world No. 87. Williams had won seven Slams before Joint was even born.
Joint had been up until 2 a.m. Tuesday just thinking about the match. She barely warmed up. Her legs wouldn’t move.
She served first and fired her second shot long. But then something happened that almost no one expected – Joint took control.
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She had Williams chasing so many balls the American gave up running at times. She kept her serve in check, piling up 10 aces to seven for Williams and winning more points on her second serve – 50 per cent versus 46 per cent for Williams.
She broke Williams in the eighth game and took the first set 6-3. That silenced the crowd and even brought out a few chants of “Go Maya.”
Joint, who has struggled in 2026, with her ranking dropping to 87th, celebrates after winning her match against Serena Williams.Andrew Couldridge/Reuters
The second set was more even. Both players traded two break points each, and in the 11th game it looked like Williams might pull ahead.
She slipped up at first, committing two double faults and handing Joint three break point opportunities. But Williams won the next four points and held serve. Sensing a resurgence, the crowd cheered her on as the pair headed to a tie break at 6-6.
Williams won 8-6 and then broke Joint early in the third set, sending the crowd into a frenzy. There were signs too of her familiar screams and grunts.
But the Australian regained her composure and broke Williams twice. She closed out the match on serve, recording a couple of aces and a double fault in the final game.
When Williams failed to return the final shot, Joint threw her hands in the air. Final score; 6-3, 6-7, 6-3.
“I really don’t know what to say right now. I don’t know what just happened,” she told the on-court interviewer.
In a news conference later, Joint tried to explain what it was like to walk out on court next to her idol.
“When we were in that hallway before we walked out into Centre Court, that was the craziest moment of my life,” she said. “I had no idea what I was going to come up against, so I just had to focus on my own game and play the way I wanted to play.”
She was nervous but also not surprised that she played the best tennis of her career on Tuesday. “If you’re playing Serena, you have nothing to lose. It makes sense that people play their best game against her.”
Playing Williams was a dream, she added. “I never thought I’d get the chance to do that.”
Williams left the court to a standing ovation. In a statement after the match, she said; “It was really great to be back at Wimbledon. I never expected to be here. The atmosphere was amazing. Walking out was amazing. I definitely relished it and missed it and enjoyed the moment more than anything.”
Williams congratulates Joint at the end of their first-round women's singles match at Wimbledon on Tuesday in London, England.Maja Smiejkowska/The Associated Press
For Alex Messados and his partner Gianna Lombardo, just seeing Williams in action once more was worth it. They’d flown to London from New York for the first time this week and entered a draw for Wimbledon tickets not knowing what they would get.
“We had no idea she would be returning,” Messados said as the couple made their way to their seats. “We got lucky.”
Lombardo follows tennis somewhat and sees Williams as an inspiration. “She’s amazing,” she said.
Charles Oades has been coming to Wimbledon with his mother, Gillian, for years. They’d seen Williams play before but to watch her once again on Tuesday was special. “She’s the greatest of all time. She changed the game,” Charles said before the match.
“We’re desperate to see her,” said his mother. “I used to pick the children up from school and drive to Wimbledon. This is amazing.”