Who is Maya Joint? The Aussie facing Serena's comeback
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.'
Badenoch blasts 'moaning' female Labour MPs over Burnham jobs 'quota'
Kemi Badenoch has told Labour women to earn a job in Andy Burnham's Cabinet instead of demanding they are handed jobs because of their gender.
The Tory leader lashed out today amid reports that female MPs are demanding the de-facto new prime minister introduce a 50:50 gender split 'quota' in his government.
Amid reports that former foreign secretary David Miliband is being lined up to return to the role, possibly with his brother Ed as Chancellor, one female minister also complained that Burnham could not have 'more Milibands than women' in the top posts.
But in a scathing article in the Times today Mrs Badenoch told them to 'stop moaning' and get chosen on merit instead of retreating into 'more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country'.
'There are many, many reasons why you shouldn't have any Milibands in the cabinet,' she said.
'But complaining that the boys haven't given them the right jobs or that the boys are taking all the jobs, just shows that Labour's women still don't get it.'
The idea of quotas was also attacked by Baroness Jacqui Smith, Labour's Skills Minister.
Asked by Times Radio if Mr Burnham should reserve jobs for women, she said: 'No, I think what Andy Burnham should be doing is building the very best team around him to change this country.'
A letter written by the Women's Parliamentary Labour Party has called on Mr Burnham to ensure a 50:50 split between men and women in government jobs
Amid reports that former foreign secretary David Miliband (above, right, in 2010) is being lined up to return to the role, possibly with his brother Ed as Chancellor, one female minister complained that Burnham could not have 'more Milibands than women' in the top posts
But Mrs Badenoch told them to pipe down and get chosen on merit instead of retreating into 'more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country'
A letter written by the Women's Parliamentary Labour Party and seen by the BBC has called on Mr Burnham to ensure a 50:50 split between men and women in government jobs after he succeeds Sir Keir Starmer.
'We are asking you to demonstrate this change from day one and address the toxicity and misogyny within our own party and government,' it said.
Labour has never had a female leader, while the Conservatives have had three, and Mrs Badenoch urged the government to follow its meritocratic example.
'If you run a meritocracy, then you do not have to worry about jobs for the boys,' she wrote.
'Every woman who is a Conservative MP, every woman who has ever won the leadership, has had to fight to get where she is.
'By contrast, Labour women are demanding guarantees from Burnham. But the truth is he doesn't have to give any guarantees.
'If none of Labour's women are prepared to get their hands dirty and challenge him for the leadership, their demands are toothless.'
'In fact, it's quite revealing that the women's parliamentary Labour Party has written to Burnham asking him to commit himself to at least 50 per cent female ministers.
'This has nothing to do with meritocracy. It is yet more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country.'
