Maya Joint has recalled the moment she learned her Wimbledon round one fate, which involves a meeting with Serena Williams.
Williams has a favorable Wimbledon draw, but she will not be taking anything for granted in her opening match in London.
That will come against Australian youngster Joint, who has struggled so far in 2026 but claimed two WTA titles in 2025.
The world number 53 has now recalled the moment she found out she’ll take on Williams, who recently returned to tennis at the age of 44.
What do you think of Serena Williams’ Wimbledon draw? 👀
Maya Joint reacts to being drawn against Serena Williams at Wimbledon
As per Tennis Australia, Joint said of her initial reaction to the Wimbledon draw: “I was surprised. I don’t know. I was excited.
“Yeah, this is… I never thought I’d get to play against her. She stopped playing when I kind of got on tour.
“So yeah, when I saw that she got the wildcard, I think there’s a small part of me that always wanted to experience playing her, and if someone told me 10 years ago that I’d be playing at Wimbledon first round against Serena Williams, that would be ridiculous.”
And recalling how she found out, the 20-year-old said: “We were watching the draw ceremony in the car, but then I was getting too nervous so we turned it off.
“And then I was sitting down with my coach, and I thought he was pranking me because he said, ‘Oh you play Serena Williams’.
“I was like, ‘Nah, you’re messing with me’. But then Sam Stosur messaged and said ‘You’re playing Serena Williams’. I was like ‘Okay cool’.”
Maya Joint preparing for ‘pinch-me’ moment vs Serena Williams
Of course, extra attention now falls on her young shoulders following the draw, with plenty of noise surrounding Williams and her extraordinary comeback.
When asked how she’ll deal with playing the 23-time Grand Slam champion given her reputation, Joint said: “Yeah I think I just have to play the ball that’s coming at me, not really think about who’s on the other end or the amount of tournaments she’s won, just play the ball coming at me.”
And if she’ll allow herself to embrace the moment too, she said: “Yeah I think… it’s like a pinch-me moment.
“I’ll be excited to see what court we’re playing on. But I think I’m just so excited that this is happening.”
Williams and Joint will meet on Tuesday, with the former then set to play doubles at the Grand Slam on Thursday.
She is partnering with her sister Venus Williams at Wimbledon, with the six-time winners starting out against Solana Sierra and Camila Osorio.