Wimbledon 2026 draw: Serena Williams to face Maya Joint in first round

By Karan Malhotra — 26 June 2026 — 4 min read

American tennis icon Serena Williams is set to make her highly anticipated singles comeback at Wimbledon, where she will face Australian player Maya Joint in the first round. Williams, a seven-time women’s champion at the All England Club, received a wildcard entry to restart her singles career at the age of 44. Her last competitive singles match was at the US Open in 2022.

Joint, who is 20 years old, made her Wimbledon main-draw debut last year but lost in the first round. She has won only one of her past 14 matches. The matchup against Joint is seen as potentially winnable for Williams, especially considering her status as a wildcard entry, which could have pitted her against higher-ranked players like top seed Aryna Sabalenka or Iga Swiatek.

Williams’ Return and Potential Path

The announcement of Williams’ return to singles action generated significant anticipation during the 25-minute women’s draw ceremony. Her placement in the draw created an intriguing section that also includes reigning women’s champion Iga Swiatek. If Williams advances past Joint, she could potentially face 29th seed Alexandra Eala of the Philippines next, with a possible third-round encounter against Swiatek.

Williams has been preparing for her comeback, having rejoined the anti-doping pool last December and working with coach Rennae Stubbs. She has also played two doubles matches since beginning her return earlier this month. She is expected to play alongside her older sister Venus, who is 46, in the Wimbledon doubles event, an event they have won six times together.

Her return to competitive tennis began at the Queen’s Club Championships, where she played her first match with Canadian doubles partner Victoria Mboko on June 9. The pair reached the quarterfinals before withdrawing due to an injury sustained by Mboko. Williams also competed at the Berlin Open last week, partnering with Karolina Muchova of Czechia, but they lost in the round of 16.

Former world number one Andy Roddick commented on Williams’ decision to return at Wimbledon, highlighting her confidence. Another American Grand Slam champion, Lindsay Davenport, suggested Williams would only return if she believed she could make an immediate impact. Davenport noted that grass is a challenging surface to start on, being very quick, low, and physical.

Williams’ last Wimbledon singles title was in 2016, when she defeated Angelique Kerber of Germany. Since then, there have been eight first-time Wimbledon champions. The last six Grand Slams have been won by six different players, indicating a period of varied success in the women’s game.

Other Key Matches and British Contingent

In other notable women’s singles first-round matches, top seed Aryna Sabalenka will play Teodora Kostovic of Serbia, while Jessica Pegula, seeded 4th, faces Darja Vidmanova of Czechia. Iga Swiatek will begin her title defence against American Taylor Townsend. Mirra Andreeva, a 19-year-old Russian player who recently became the youngest French Open champion in 34 years, will also be competing.

British number one Emma Raducanu, seeded 30th, is scheduled to start against Antonia Ruzic of Croatia. However, there are concerns about Raducanu’s fitness after she did not practice on Thursday due to a shin injury. Raducanu could potentially meet top seed Aryna Sabalenka in the third round, a repeat of their encounter at Wimbledon last year.

In the men’s draw, Britain’s Jack Draper faces a challenging first-round match against American sixth seed Taylor Fritz. Draper is returning from a series of injury problems, with Andy Murray now part of his coaching team. He recently reached the semi-finals at Eastbourne in his first tournament since April. Fritz reached the semi-finals at Wimbledon last year.

Seven-time champion Novak Djokovic will begin his quest for a record 25th Grand Slam title against Wu Yibing of China. World number one Jannik Sinner, who has not played since his second-round exit at the French Open in May, will start against Miomir Kecmanovic of Serbia as he aims to defend his Wimbledon title. However, Carlos Alcaraz will not participate in SW19 as he continues to recover from a wrist injury.

The British contingent in the singles draws includes Cameron Norrie, seeded 26th in the men’s singles, who will play American qualifier Michael Zheng. Norrie could face Canadian third seed Felix Auger-Aliassime in the third round. Other British players who secured spots through ranking include Katie Boulter, Francesca Jones, and Jan Choinski. Additionally, 12 Britons received wildcards, with three players—Ollie Tarvet, Billy Harris, and Max Basing—qualifying after winning three matches this week, marking the most home players to qualify since 1999.

Among other significant men’s singles first-round matches, Casper Ruud, seeded 11th, will play Hubert Hurkacz, and Alexander Zverev, seeded 2nd, faces Alexander Blockx.