"I just find it so bright outside — I don’t know how other people can see" - Joint explains use of sunglasses on court as she sets ambitious 2026 goals

Maya Joint is looking to follow in the footsteps of Australia's greatest tennis players, with her set to compete in the Australian Open as a seed for the first time.

She is looking to continue the momentum from a breakout 2025 where she shot up the WTA rankings into the position she is now in, but the work is not yet done with more ground and progress to be made.

She comes off the back of making her United Cup debut, before going on a run to the quarter-finals of the Adelaide International, losing out to eventual champion Mirra Andreeva. "I got here yesterday and hit this morning on Margaret Court Arena. I’ve had two pretty good tournaments and a couple of good matches. I’m really excited to start playing on Tuesday," she said in her press conference.

2025 was a terrific year for the young talent. Joint took home a brace of WTA titles in the Rabat Grand Prix and Eastbourne Open, showing the credentials of a star in the making. This was also showcased in the rankings, with the Aussie rocketing up to the top 32.

She will be the 30th seed for the tournament in Melbourne, as she breaks new ground early on in her career. "It’s an exciting feeling, especially because it’s my home event," she admitted. "Being seeded is definitely a little bit different, but yeah, it’s exciting."

With a seeding position comes great expectation to get results and possibly go on a deep run. Never being in this position before, Joint is unsure what feelings are set to crop up. "I guess a little bit of extra pressure, but yeah… I don’t know."

However, she definitely feels more eyes and attention averted her way with the fact that it is her home event. "Yeah, I think I feel a couple more eyes on me," she stated. "Being the number one Aussie, I guess there’s a bit more pressure and expectations from other people."

Australia have been notorious in gifting the women's game some of the best players to pick up a racket. Joint, hugely inspired by a number of them, listed the players she looks up to. "Ash Barty, Margaret Court, Evonne Goolagong, Sam Stosur, Nicole Pratt — there are so many more, and I don’t want to forget anyone," she remarked. "There have just been so many amazing women who came before all of us Aussies."

Now the Aussie number one, she is the next hope for Australian tennis on the WTA Tour. Many icons of the sport have commented supporting statements on her, with Joint even having the pleasure to step onto the court with three-time Grand Slam champion Barty. "I’ve hit with Ash twice and talked with her a little bit. I know Sam and Nicole as well, so I have a good relationship with them and try to learn as much as I can from them."

Joint has already underlined her goals for this year, but before stating them she reminisced on last year's, with all of them completed with flying colours. "Last year my goals were to win a WTA title and to get to the second round of a Grand Slam. I didn’t really set ranking goals."

Ranking goals were not on the list this year, but the targets have increased in difficulty and prestige, matching the talent of Joint. "This year, I’d like to win a 500 event, get to the fourth round of a Masters, and the third round of a Slam," she listed.

The 19-year-old is very well-known for boasting a pair of sunglasses on the court from time to time, giving her the best chance to see the ball in the bright scenery. "I’ve always played with sunglasses. I am surprised that not a lot of other people do it," she said. "I just find it so bright outside — I don’t know how other people can see."

This is hugely important in Australia, with the sun beaming down with such force. This also makes Joint susceptible to being burnt, which is why she always comes prepared with sunscreen. "I always wear sunscreen, especially here in Australia," she confirmed. "The sun is so strong and you get burnt so quickly — you just have to do it."

She also highlighted what a good job the tournament does in this specific area. "I think the tournaments do a really good job. They always have sunscreen available and free to use. A lot of players do a good job with it, but I still know a couple of people who should probably wear more sunscreen."

A huge part of the reason for her being easily burnt is because she is ginger, which is where her nickname 'Ginger Ninja' came from. "I put it on my Instagram bio a couple of years ago because I thought it sounded cool, and then it just caught on.," she said, relieving the origin of the nickname.

Despite her age, Joint will be the oldest player on court in her first round match at Melbourne Park. She is set to take on 18-year-old Tereza Valentova. The Czech talent has only competed in one Grand Slam before, but got a lot of attention at the end of the year after reaching the Japan Open final, losing to former US Open runner-up Leylah Fernandez.

It will be a test for Joint, who will do her research before the match. "I don’t know her very well and I’ve never played her before. I’ll have to watch some match footage and see how she plays, but I think it should be a good match," she concluded.