July 1, 2026 — 7:14amLondon: No one gave Maya Joint a chance. At least anyone not Australian, or with a foot in Joint’s camp. They were wrong.Faced with the daunting prospect of being Serena Williams’ first opponent back in her celebrated comeback as a 44-year-old mother-of-two – after almost four years away – Joint shocked the world with a 6-3, 6-7 (6-8), 6-3 victory over the former world No.1.Australian Maya Joint defeats Serena Williams.Getty ImagesThere were no histrionics. That is not Joint’s style.Instead, she rose her arms in triumph, shared a polite handshake with Williams then had a moment of introspection at her courtside chair as she soaked up a career-best win.“I really don’t know what to say right now. I don’t know what just happened,” a disbelieving Joint said.“I didn’t get much sleep last night. I was up until like 2am just thinking about it. I forgot the warm-up, I don’t know what happened, my legs weren’t moving, and I don’t know how I got a pretty good start in the match.“She has such an aura, she’s such a legend, and so many big names have played on this court. I’ve been dreaming about this moment since I was a little kid, so it’s crazy.”Serena Williams waves goodbye to the crowd.AP Photo/Maja SmiejkowskaHaving twice been up a set and a break, Joint had every reason to drown in self-doubt as the American legend stormed back to snatch the second set, then go up a break herself in the final set. An already electrified crowd was beside itself by that stage.Instead, everyone received a reality check.Joint was the ascending star, not Williams, who became increasingly vulnerable in the latter stages of her career before she retired in defeat to Australia’s Ajla Tomljanovic at the 2022 US Open.Serena Williams and Maya Joint shake hands at the net.Getty ImagesEven so, it was remarkable how Joint continued to absorb a mountain of pressure. Equally, it was understandable – at least in hindsight – that Williams was unable to complete the job after so many years away from this cauldron.More to comeMarc McGowan travelled to London with Tennis Australia’s support.Watch Wimbledon from 7.30pm Monday (AEST) on the Nine Network and Stan Sport.News, results and expert analysis from the weekend of sport sent every Monday. Sign up for our Sport newsletter.More:WimbledonSerena WilliamsAustralians in sportWomen in sportTennis AustraliaFrom our partners