Wimbledon 2026: Serena Williams to face 20-year-old Maya Joint in first round

After announcing her comeback after nearly four years away, Serena Williams will return to singles play at Wimbledon. Her first task, beating a player half her age.
Williams, 44, is matched up against 20-year-old Maya Joint in the first round at 2026 Wimbledon, draws revealed Friday. It should be an interesting matchup, as the two have never squared off before.
Advertisement

In fact, Joint wasn’t even an active Grand Slam participant when Williams was active. Joint — who is Australian — started competing in professional tennis events back in 2021, when she was 14, but she didn’t qualifying for a Grand Slam until 2024, when she reached the second round at the US Open. She’s taken part in every Grand Slam since then, though has only advanced past the first round one other time — the 2025 US Open.
As for Williams, it will mark her first Grand Slam singles match since the 2022 US Open. Williams reached the third round at the event, where she fell to Ajla Tomljanović.
After that match, Williams “evolved away” from tennis, though didn’t officially retire. Despite that, it was a surprise to see Williams announce a comeback in June. Since her comeback announcement, Williams has taken part in two events — the HSBC Championships and the Berlin Open. She’s played doubles at both events.
Williams and her partner, Victoria Mboko, managed to win their first match at the HSBC Championships, but were forced to bow out of the event after Mboko sustained an injury during a singles match. At the Berlin Open, Williams and her new partner, Karolína Muchová fell in the first round.
Advertisement

When Williams first announced her return, there was speculation she was doing so as a warmup to participate in Wimbledon. The Grand Slam is arguably her best event, as Williams has won it seven times during her legendary career.
Since Williams had not been an active player in years, she needed to be granted a wild-card spot to take part in Wimbledon in 2026. The tournament happily obliged, setting the stage for Williams’ return to singles play.
Fans hoping to watch Williams’ first Grand Slam match in nearly four years will have to wait an extra day. While first round matches at Wimbledon start Monday, June 29, Williams and Joint won’t take the court until Tuesday.
Read More Feedzy