Serena Williams lost to Maya Joint, 3-6, 7-6, 3-6, in the first round of Wimbledon.
During a Washington Open press conference, Venus Williams delivered her verdict on Serena Williams’ Wimbledon comeback.
“She played stellar in that match. I think her level was so extraordinarily high. It was very unlucky. Sometimes you play players who are on fire, and they don’t seem to maintain that level afterwards,” said Venus Williams.
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Serena Williams’ coach, Rennae Stubbs, has now shared her thoughts on the comments, which some deemed too critical of Joint.
Rennae Stubbs doesn’t think Venus Williams said ‘anything that was not correct’
During the latest episode of ‘The Rennae Stubbs Tennis Podcast‘, the Aussie reacted to Venus Williams’ comments.
“She’s not wrong,” said Stubbs.
“Serena [Williams] played well; we know what happened with the knee. She was very much hobbled, and that was definitely a problem, certainly in the third set.
Serena Williams vs Maya Joint – Match stats
| Stats | Serena Williams | Maya Joint |
| Aces | 7 | 10 |
| Double faults | 7 | 5 |
| 1st Serve % | 76% | 81% |
| Win % on 1st Serve | 63% | 66% |
| Win % on 2nd Serve | 53% | 53% |
| Break points | 3/11 | 5/11 |
“Maya Joint played probably the match of her life. She played the best match this year and then has subsequently lost the next match the following day. She played a great first set and then just fell away, and I think she lost the third set 6-0.
“When you have technically nothing to lose, and everyone thinks that you are probably not going to win this match because you have not won a match for six months or something, and you are playing against the greatest player of all time, and someone who has won the tournament seven times.
“Yes, she hasn’t played a match for three years, but everyone is saying what a great draw. Maya Joint hasn’t won a match in so long.
“Then she came out and played unbelievable. She served well; every big point, she only had a little stumble at the end of the second set, and overall she played great.”
Joint has struggled throughout the 2026 season and had only won two tour-level singles matches ahead of Wimbledon.
Arriving at SW19 in poor form, many expected Serena Williams to defeat Joint in the first round of Wimbledon.
Maya Joint’s 2026 record (5-15)
| Tournament | Performance | Wins | Defeat(s) |
| United Cup | Quarter-final | 0 | Barbora Krejcikova, Iga Swiatek |
| Adelaide International | Quarter-final | 2 (Sofia Kenin, Ajla Tomljanovic) | Mirra Andreeva |
| Australian Open | First round | 0 | Tereza Valentova |
| Abu Dhabi Open | First round | 0 | Janice Tjen |
| Qatar Open | First round | 0 | Linda Noskova |
| Dubai Tennis Championships | First round | 0 | Diana Shnaider |
| Indian Wells | Second round | 0 | Jaqueline Cristian |
| Italian Open | Second round | 0 | Viktorija Golubic |
| Internationaux de Strasbourg | First round | 0 | Ann Li |
| French Open | First round | 0 | Anastasia Potapova |
| Nottingham Open | First round | 0 | Yuliia Starodubtseva |
| Eastbourne Open | First round | 0 | Emiliana Arango |
| Wimbledon | Second round | 1 (Serena Williams) | Alex Eala |
| Prague Open | Second round | 1 (Laura Samson) | Tereza Valentova |
| Memphis Classic* | Second round | 1 (Whitney Osuigwe) | – |
It wasn’t to be, though, as Joint delivered one of the finest performances of her career to win in three sets.
Venus Williams made a comment about players like Joint, who don’t maintain ‘that level’ after defeating top players.
However, that’s not entirely fair.
After failing to win a match in 10 consecutive WTA Tour events before Wimbledon, Joint has won at least one in her last three.
Perhaps the win against Serena Williams gave her the confidence she needed to start rediscovering the form that she showed throughout 2025.
Still, Stubbs doesn’t think there was anything wrong with what Venus Williams said about Serena Williams’ first-round defeat to her fellow Aussie.
“What Venus is saying, I have no problem with her saying it. It was correct. Unfortunately, Maya went and lost the next match,” she said.
“There is so much that players or people don’t say in public that they want to say, which they say in their private lives, and it’s not just Venus.
“Trust me, you are getting one-fifth of what they really want to say about anyone.
“I think Venus is being very protective of her little sister, and I’m okay with it. She didn’t say anything that was not correct.”
What’s next for Serena Williams, Venus Williams, and Maya Joint?
Serena Williams won’t return to action in Washington, although some expect her to play doubles in Toronto next month.
Venus Williams, on the other hand, will play in the nation’s capital.
She will compete in both the singles and doubles events this year.
In singles, she will play Anastasia Potapova in the first round on Tuesday, July 28, and in doubles, she and Diana Shnaider have already won their opener, and will return to take on Tang Qianhui/Xu Yifan or Anna Danilina/Leylah Fernandez in the quarter-finals later this week.
And after beating Whitney Osuigwe in the first round of the Memphis Classic, Joint will play Ekaterina Alexandrova or Kristina Liutova in the second round on Wednesday, July 29.
