![\"Maya](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/e401b02b07a1c0d051e4d098ece4e169.jpeg\")
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Joint was clearly releasing some emotion and nerves after winning the match.<\/p>\n
After a brief handshake with the queen of tennis, Joint took multiple deep breaths as she packed up her kit before struggling to find the words in her on-court interview.<\/p>\n
The 20-year-old said she was relieved to even catch a glimpse of Williams on the practice courts before the match to remove at least a bit of the legend around her, but only a little.<\/p>\n
“I saw her around Aorangi a little bit, so that was good,” Joint told reporters.<\/p>\n
“When we were in that hallway before we walked onto centre court, that was the craziest moment of my life.<\/p>\n
“Watching all the greats and the legends do that, for me to do that as well was just insane.”<\/p>\n
Joint’s only other singles match at SW19 was last year’s first-round loss to Liudmila Samsonova all the way out on court 18, the smallest and most distant show court at the venue.<\/p>\n
As Joint and Williams entered centre court, Joint was certain every one of the raucous cheers from the 15,000 patrons was for her opponent.<\/p>\n
“The stadium’s pretty much what I expected, full. A full stadium and very loud,” she said.<\/p>\n
“But they also cheered a lot for me, which I didn’t think they were going to do as much as they did. That was a nice surprise.<\/p>\n
“The atmosphere was amazing. Stepping out on court with Serena was something I never thought I’d get to do and I don’t think I’ve quite processed it yet.”<\/p>\n
![\"THe](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/db33f63e3b459004869139635d7fccfe.jpeg\")
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The crowd was there mostly for Williams, but was not completely unfair to Joint. (Getty Images: Cameron Spencer)<\/p>\n
After the match Joint spoke about the “aura” of Williams, describing it as a mixture of intimidation and admiration for a woman who had completed a career slam before Joint was born at Grosse Point, Michigan, in April 2006.<\/p>\n
“It’s difficult to explain. I don’t know, it just seems like she’s just so much better in general than you, as a person,” she said.<\/p>\n
“It’s intimidating having to play against someone who’s achieved so much in her career.”<\/p>\n
But four years removed from her last singles match on tour, no-one knew what Williams we would be seeing.<\/p>\n
Joint was no different, but said she simply prepared for peak Serena, no matter how unlikely that was.<\/p>\n
![\"Maya](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/7d14dd4429b760133d3a913910f53450.jpeg\")
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Joint was almost lost for words after the three-set win. (Getty Images: Cameron Spencer)<\/p>\n
“If you’re playing Serena you have nothing to lose, so it makes sense that people play their best games against her,” she said.<\/p>\n
“I was pretty nervous, but I got a good start, which was helpful. I tensed up a little bit when I got close to winning.”<\/p>\n
Joint paused and fiddled with her jacket’s zipper before saying “winning”, seemingly almost too sheepish to admit that’s what she had done.<\/p>\n
Her next match against Alex Eala will likely see Joint return to the outside courts with thousands fewer people in the stands.<\/p>\n