Australian rising star Maya Joint defeated tennis legend Serena Williams in a gripping three-set battle on Centre Court, spoiling the American icon’s singles return to Wimbledon after four years.
The 20-year-old Joint triumphed 6-3, 6-7 (6), 6-3 against the seven-time Wimbledon champion.
The 44-year-old Williams, who made a big return to the grass courts, fought valiantly and forced a decider but ultimately fell short. She waved warmly to all sides of the court as she exited following the defeat, earning thunderous applause from the crowd.
Joint, clearly overwhelmed by the occasion, admitted she barely slept the night before. “I didn’t get much sleep last night, I was up until 2am just thinking about it,” she told the BBC. “Walking out, I forgot the warm-up. My legs weren’t moving. I really don’t know how I got a pretty good start in the match.”
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The young Australian added that facing Williams proved nerve-wracking. “She has such an aura, she’s such a legend. I’ve been dreaming about this since I was a little kid, so this is pretty crazy.” She also praised Williams for lifting her level late in the match.
Williams captured seven Wimbledon singles titles during her illustrious career (2002, 2003, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2015, 2016). She holds 23 Grand Slam singles titles overall seven Australian Opens, three French Opens, seven Wimbledons, and six US Opens placing her second on the all-time list behind Margaret Court.
Other notable Wimbledon women’s singles champions include Martina Navratilova with a record nine titles, as well as greats like Steffi Graf, Helen Wills Moody, and recent winners such as Iga Świątek (2025) and Barbora Krejčíková (2024).
Williams, who played doubles at Queen’s Club and Berlin in preparation, confirmed this week that she plans to keep training with the goal of competing at the US Open later this year.
