Serena Williams to Play Maya Joint at Wimbledon

Richard Pagliaro | Friday, June 26, 2026
Photo credit: Glyn Kirk/AFP/Getty

Serena Williams’ Wimbledon comeback begins against a player 24 years younger.

The Wimbledon draw was conducted today.

The seven-time champion Serena Williams, 44, will play 20-year-old Aussie Maya Joint in her opener.

It will be Williams’ first Wimbledon singles match since she lost to 115th-ranked Harmony Tan in the 2022 opening round.

World No. 53 Joint reached the Adelaide quarterfinals in January. Since then, Joint has lost in the first round in 10 of her last 11 tournaments. Joint lost her Wimbledon opener last year to Liudmila Samsonova and is 1-13 in her last 14 matches this season.

The winner of the Williams vs. Joint match will play either 29th-seeded Filipina Alexandra Eala or Mexico’s Renata Zarazua, who upset Australian Open champion Madison Keys at the 2025 US Open. Should Williams win the first two rounds, she could potentially play reigning Wimbledon champion Iga Swiatek in round three.

Former world No. 1 Serena owns a 98-14 career Wimbledon singles record and is playing for her first Wimbledon win since 2019.

Here’s a look at Serena Williams’ potential Wimbledon draw if seeds hold true to form:

R1: Maya Joint (AUS)
R2: (29) Alexandra Eala (PHI)
R3: (3) Iga Swiatek (POL)
R4: (13) Jasmine Paolini (ITA)
QF: (8) Elina Svitolina (UKR)
SF: (2) Elena Rybakina (KAZ)
F: (1) Aryna Sabalenka

British No. 1 Emma Raducanu plays Croatian world No. 60 Antonia Ruzic in her opener. Ruzic defeated Raducanu in Dubai this season. 

The 2021 US Open champion Raducanu, who reached the Wimbledon round of 16 in 2021 and 2024, could play 2017 Roland Garros champion Jelena Ostapenko in round two with the winner potentially playing world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in round three.

Wimbledon 2026 Ladies Draw