We're not tennis aficionados, but we can imagine there are certain pros you'd rather not go up against in a Grand Slam. And if we had to guess, Serena Williams would be at the top of that list for many players. But for one young (she's only 20-years-old) Aussie player, that's exactly wha just happened – and she came out successful.
Maya Joint defeated Williams at Wimbledon this week, after the 44-year-old tennis GOAT accepted a wild-card entry to competition. Naturally, we – and the rest of the world – have more than a few questions about the young gun player. So we did some digging. All your questions about Maya Joint answered, below.
She just defeated Serena Williams at Wimbledon
Yes, you read that correctly. Despite being more than 20 years her junior, Joint was successful in her bid against Williams, winning
6-3, 6-7 (6/8), 6-3 in a game that lasted two hours and 22 minutes.
Per ABC, Joint was (understandably) overwhelmed at the end of the match, saying "I really don't know what to say just now. Wow, I don't really know what just happened, to be honest."
She continued, "I didn't get much sleep last night. I was up until 2am just thinking about it."
Joint was also quick to gush about her opponent, saying "She has such an aura, she's such a legend and this court has so many huge names that have played on it. I've been dreaming about this moment since I was a little kid, so this is pretty crazy."
She's something of an honorary Aussie
But we'll take it. Joint was actually born in Grosse Pointe, Michigan. Her father, Michael, is Australian, while her mother, Katja, hails from Germany. Unsurprisingly, on-court talent runs in this family, with both of her parents former pro-squash players.
Joint relocated to Australia at age 16 to train at Tennis Australia's National Academy in Brisbane, and began representing Australia at the same time.
She moved to Melbourne in mid-2025, shortly after her 19th birthday.
She's an Aries
Joint was born on 16 April 2006, making her an Aries. We'd guess the ram's strong will and determination are very helpful traits in the midst of a long tennis match.
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She dabbled in US college tennis
In late 2023, Joint announced that she would attend the University of Texas, to play on the Texas longhorns tennis team. However in August 2024, the National College Athletic Association (NCAA) controversially ordered that she return $140,000 in US Open prize money in order to remain eligible to play at a college level.
Ultimately, the ruling led Joint to announce that she would leave college tennis behind, and pursue tennis professionally.
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She went pro at just 14
Before her college stint, Joint actually made her foray onto the professional tennis circuit at 14. She entered in a W25 (a specific tier on the ITF Women's World Tennis Tour) event in Orlando, but was eliminated in the first round of qualifying.
She returned to the pro circuit at 16 with more success at a W25 event in Waco, Texas.
It wasn't until 2024 that she made her Grand Slam debut, with a wildcard entry to the 2024 Australian Open in the mixed doubles tournament.
That same year, Joint became the youngest-ever Australian to win a W75 singles title, defeating Aoi Ito when she was just 17. It was also the year that she made her major singles debut at the US open, before being knocked out of the competition by Madison Keys.
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She has a career-high singles ranking of 28
It's an achievement she nabbed in February 2026.
Unfortunately, after a series of losses later int he year, Joint's ranking has since dropped to 87.
