Serena Williams to Face 20-Year-Old Joint in Wimbledon Return After 4-Year Absence

Serena Williams (USA) will face an opponent 24 years her junior in the first round of the 2026 Wimbledon Championships (total prize money of 64.2 million pounds), marking her return to singles competition after four years.
Following the Wimbledon draw held today (June 27), it was determined that the 44-year-old Williams will play against 20-year-old Maya Joint (ranked 53rd) from Australia.
Joint is less than half the age of Williams, young enough to be her daughter.
Born in Michigan, USA, but competing under the Australian flag like her father, Joint is a promising player who won her second career Women's Tennis Association (WTA) tour singles title at the Eastbourne International last year.
However, she has struggled in the first half of this year, suffering first-round exits in most tournaments due to the lingering effects of a back injury.
She was also eliminated in the first round of last year's tournament, which was her Wimbledon debut.
Regarding the draw, Joint said, "It is an honor. I have always dreamed of playing against Serena Williams. If someone had told me 10 years ago that I would meet her in the first round of Wimbledon, I would not have believed it."
Williams, who received a wildcard entry without a ranking, could face defending champion Iga Swiatek (3rd, Poland) in the third round if she advances past the second round.
Williams will also compete in the doubles event with her sister, Venus (46), as a wildcard entry.
The Williams sisters have won the Wimbledon doubles title six times.
In the women's singles, if all top seeds advance to the quarterfinals, the matchups are expected to be Aryna Sabalenka (1st, Belarus) vs. Mirra Andreeva (5th, Russia), Elena Rybakina (2nd, Kazakhstan) vs. Amanda Anisimova (6th, USA), Swiatek vs. Elina Svitolina (8th, Ukraine), and Jessica Pegula (4th, USA) vs. Coco Gauff (7th, USA).
In the men's singles, world No. 1 Jannik Sinner (Italy) will begin his title defense against Miomir Kecmanovic (51st, Serbia).
Sinner and legendary player Novak Djokovic (8th, Serbia) are set to face each other in the semifinals if they both advance that far.
Djokovic's first-round opponent is Wu Yibing (99th, China).
If all top seeds reach the quarterfinals, the projected matchups are Sinner vs. Daniil Medvedev (9th, Russia), Felix Auger-Aliassime (4th, Canada) vs. Djokovic, Alex de Minaur (6th, Australia) vs. Ben Shelton (5th, USA), and Taylor Fritz (7th, USA) vs. Alexander Zverev (3rd, Germany).
(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.