Nearly half a decade ago at Wimbledon, a 15-year-old Coco Gauff announced her arrival on the grandest stage of them all. Taking the court against her idol and five-time champion Venus Williams, she romped to a 6-4, 6-4 win in the opening round — marking a monumental upset. Now, a similar test awaits her contemporary, Maya Joint, who will clash against a returning Serena Williams in the first round of the SW19. While Gauff has never faced the younger Williams sister, she is aware of the pressure that comes with facing a titan of the sport. As a word of advice, Gauff believes keeping an eye on everything, but the numbers will serve Joint well.

“When I was in that position, I didn’t look at scoreboard the whole match,” Gauff said during her pre-Wimbledon press interview. “I did not want to see Venus’ name. No matter how much you try to block it out, I feel like once you see the name, it makes everything seem real. Maybe don’t look at the scoreboard.”

Gauff emphasized that Serena cannot be underestimated, especially at a tournament like Wimbledon. For history buffs, Williams’ impeccable record and seven titles at the All England Tennis Club is a daunting prospect for anyone. As for Joint, Gauff further pointed out that it won’t be easy to analyze Serena’s playstyle as she hasn’t played singles for the past four years.

“It’s different. We haven’t seen Serena play in many years, so there’s not really much of a scouting report you can go off of. I definitely think she has to go in it believing she can win. We haven’t seen her play. I don’t know how the match is going to be. Anyone playing a Williams sister – I don’t know what court they’re going to be on, I’m sure it’s going to be Centre or Court 1 – it’s not going to be easy,” she added.

It’s no surprise that this will be the first meeting between Serena and Joint. The 20-year-old turned pro in 2024, two years after the American had taken her indefinite hiatus from tennis. Though fans would want to see Serena go on a winning run at the SW19, Joint can be a hard nut to crack.

The World No. 87 is considered to be a strong player on grass. Joint proved her credentials last year when she triumphed at the Eastbourne Open, clinching her second WTA title. But her form has significantly dipped this season following the lower back injury sustained before the Miami Open.

The setback saw the Australian remain out of action for two months before she eventually returned at the Rome Masters. Yet her form remains amiss, having suffered first-round exits at both the Nottingham and Eastbourne Open. She is yet to record a singles victory so far in the grass-court season and will be desperate to improve her form and rack up positive results at Wimbledon. Yet her veteran opponent poses a tough puzzle to crack.

Complicating Joint’s task is Williams’ impressive return to the court at Queen’s Club earlier this month. Still capable of smacking her devastating serve — delivering two eye-catching back-to-back aces — the 44-year-old admittedly “had so much fun” in her doubles win alongside Victoria M’Boko. But how that will translate in a singles contest remains to be seen.

While Williams’ return comes partly as a result of feeling “tired of sitting at home,” Joint has a more surprised yet keen stance on facing the 23-time Grand Slam champion.

Maya Joint shares her reaction to facing Serena Williams at Wimbledon

“I was surprised. I never thought I’d get to play against her,” she said during her pre-Wimbledon press interview. “She stopped playing when I kinda got on the tour. When I saw that she got the wildcard, I think there’s a small part of me that always wanted to experience playing her, and if someone told me 10 years ago that I’d be playing at Wimbledon first round against Serena Williams, that would be ridiculous.”

The competition will only get tougher for the winner between Serena and Joint. The two have been handed a tough draw at SW19 and can potentially face World No.32 Alexandra Eala in the second round. The winner could then face a significant jump, with defending champion Iga Swiatek possibly waiting in the third round.

At opposite ends of their careers, such a challenge could be overwhelming for both Joint and Williams, who will become the second-oldest woman to compete in a Wimbledon singles main draw in the Open Era. Will Serena mark a triumphant return in her first singles match in four years, or will Joint crash her comeback party at Wimbledon? All eyes on Tuesday.