"Just come back stronger next year, pretty much": Dejected Maya Joint vows to get better amid early Australian Open exit

Tuesday, 20 January 2026 at 06:00

Maya Joint’s Australian Open campaign came to an early end on Tuesday, with the young Australian going down 6–4, 6–4 to Tereza Valentova in the first round at Melbourne Park.

Joint credited Valentova’s serving and overall consistency as key factors in the loss, admitting she struggled to wrestle control of the match. “I think she served really well today,” Joint said. “She was hitting her spots, mixing up where she was hitting them. She had powerful groundstrokes and she played well today.”

The Australian acknowledged that her own level dipped at important moments, particularly on serve. “Yeah, I had a few more double faults than usual,” she said. “I think I had quite a few unforced errors today. Yeah, just a tough, tough match.”

Coming into the tournament as Australia’s top-ranked female player and a seeded entrant, Joint said the added attention had not changed her mindset, despite the disappointment of the early exit.

“I’ve gotten a lot of questions on that, and honestly the seeding didn’t really feel any different to a normal tournament,” she said. “I wanted to do really well here. I thought I had a good chance, so it’s definitely a bit disappointing after today. But I’ll just try and get back at it next week.”

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Joint also explained a lengthy conversation with her coach during a toilet break in the second set, where the focus was on stabilising her second serve.

“We were talking mostly about my second serve,” she said. “I was struggling a bit with that. Just committing to it and keeping brushing up over it. Yeah, that was mainly what it was about.”

Reflecting on her build-up to the Australian Open, Joint said illness during the United Cup had not significantly disrupted her preparation.

“It was unfortunate timing that I got sick during that first match, but I was feeling fine again for Adelaide and I was feeling good,” she said. “So I don’t think it really affected my preparation that much.”

Moving on from disappointment

Despite the pressure that can come with playing a home Grand Slam, Joint said competing in Australia remains a special experience. “I think we’re really lucky as Australians to have a Grand Slam in our home country,” she said. “We get a lot of support. It just makes it a very special experience and a tournament that we look forward to every year.”

While disappointed with the result, Joint believes the match will serve as an important learning moment as she continues to develop.

“It can only get better from year to year,” she said. “Disappointing, for sure. I think I’ll learn a lot from this match and just come back stronger next year, pretty much.”

Looking ahead, Joint confirmed she will remain in Melbourne to contest the doubles, before heading overseas for a busy stretch of tournaments.

“I still have doubles here, so I’ll be playing that,” she said. “Then I’ll go to the Middle East swing — Doha, Abu Dhabi, Dubai. Then I’ll do a training week, I think, and then Indian Wells and Miami.”

Joint also highlighted the strength and unity within Australia’s emerging group of female players, describing a close-knit environment that continues to push standards higher.

“I think there are a tonne of amazing Aussie women coming up right at the moment,” she said. “We all know each other really well. We all train together, so we’re a tight-knit group and we all support each other.”

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Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief

Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.

Based in Leicester, Samuel has a broad background in tennis media. In his current role, he works closely with editors and writers to ensure coverage meets clear journalistic standards, with particular attention to verification, consistency, and timely updates when new information becomes available.

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