"We trust in our Ginger" - Maya Joint backed by fellow Aussie tennis players in monumental occasion against Serena Williams

Labelled the 'Ginger Ninja' by herself, Maya Joint may need to pull some moves out of the hat to reverse her poor form and take down none other than Serena Williams in the first round of Wimbledon. Her fellow Australian compatriots have her back, including Daria Kasatkina and Alex de Minaur who touched on the highly anticipated clash.

There was always going to be a lot of excitement surrounding the return of Williams. Form months now people have been waiting anxiously to see if there is any more news around the 23-time Grand Slam champion making a return to the court.

Finally, as the grass season drew nearer, the announcement was made that she would be making a comeback. First at Queen's, then in Berlin she graced the court in the doubles with Victoria Mboko and Karolina Muchova.

Now, she will be returning to Wimbledon ready to compete at the highest level. It was always going to be a big story on whoever she played, and it will be Joint who has the honour in facing off against the American in her first singles match since the 2022 US Open first round.

As for Joint, her 2026 has not lived up to expectations. She broke on the scene in 2025 amid a brace of titles and a career high ranking of 33 in the world. Now down to 53rd in the world, her Aussie number one status is still intact for the time being despite a struggle for form.

She has managed to win just three matches this year, two of them coming enroute to the quarter-final of the Adelaide International following fellow Aussie Ajla Tomljanovic retiring after two games. She then went nine consecutive tournaments without a win, losing in the first round on every single occasion. That run was broken in a WTA 125 tournament in Makarska, Croatia, but early defeats in Nottingham and Eastbourne do not make for good reading. Following the failure to defend the title in Eastbourne, the 20-year-old is set to plummet down to 87th in the world when the next set of rankings are released, becoming the Aussie number four.

Nevertheless, her poor form could switch around within a heartbeat. Tennis is a sport built on confidence and belief. There is always a mix of talent in there as well, and Joint has proven to have an abundance of that.

She has the backing of Australia to get back to her best, including former top 10 talent Kasatkina. "We trust in our Ginger," she joked while speaking to inkl.

Kasatkina was hesitant in making any predictions, just wanting to sit back and enjoy the occasion just like everyone else involved. "I don't know what to say about this match because it's impossible to predict anything," she commented.

"We are gonna witness a really, really special situation, and I hope Maya is going to enjoy it, because she's this lucky person who got to be on the court. I think she's going to enjoy it." When asked if she would enjoy being in Joint's shoes, she was quick to make her feelings clear. "No. For sure not - but I hope Maya will," she laughed.

Getting a close up look on the seven-time champion, Kasatkina analysed her game and in ominous fashion stated that she was still competing at a high level, especially on serve. "I mean, her skill is there, the serve is still flying the same like it used to fly 30 years ago, so it's gonna be difficult, but it's very difficult to predict anything."

Someone who knows the feeling of playing a legend at Wimbledon is de Minaur. Back in 2018, he suffered a straight sets defeat to none other than Rafael Nadal. Similar to Kasatkina, de Minaur offered his advice to his United Cup teammate.

"The words of advice you hear so often is 'treat it as any other match, any other opponent'. It's easier said than done, right? That's just the reality of it. Maya is a terrific competitor. I've got no doubt that she'll go out there and compete, and it's just hopefully she can settle in quickly."

The contest is yet to be scheduled, but will feature on Tuesday 30th July, possibly on Centre Court. Fans around the world will want to see what Williams looks like back in the singles with Joint determined to get back to her best at a crucial time.