The WTA Wimbledon first-round competition begins. This is, for many, the crown jewel of all tennis tournaments, known locally as The Championships. There is no bigger story at the start of the 2026 Wimbledon tournament than the return of Serena Williams to the All-England Club. Serena Williams is now 44 years old. She has won at Wimbledon many times. She has won everywhere many times. Serena Williams won her first major championship at the 1999 US Open. Now, nearly 27 full years later, she comes back to the tennis scene playing in another major tournament. The WTA Wimbledon draw has Serena in the same section as Alexandra Eala, whom she could face in the second round, and Iga Swiatek, whom she could face in the third round. Either of those possible matchups would be amazing, but first, Serena has to find a way to beat a 20-year-old Australian. LWOS has our best bet for Serena Williams versus Maya Joint in the first round of The Championships. Post your best bets and thoughts in the comments.
WTA Wimbledon
Williams – Joint: Time TBA
H2H: 0-0
It’s not a situation you see every day. A tennis legend with 23 major tournament titles steps away from the sport in her early 40s, then takes nearly four full years off, and then decides to return to the court for a live singles match. This isn’t just any tournament or match, either. It’s the first round of WTA Wimbledon. Serena Williams comes to the All-England Club without playing any of the grass warm-up tournaments leading up to this first-round match. It would be difficult to play a match after not having any recent match play (the past two to four weeks) in any circumstance and on any surface. Grass, though, might be the trickiest surface to choose for a comeback since it’s not as frequently played on as the other surfaces on tour. Serena Williams will have to have very crisp and smooth footwork, and with the long layoff, that will be a question. Doing all of this at age 44 as opposed to 33 or 22 makes the challenge even bigger.
However, for all the obstacles Serena Williams faces in her WTA Wimbledon first-round match, she could not have asked for a much better opponent if she wanted one. Maya Joint has had a terrible 2026 season. She is 3-15 overall this season. She is 0-2 on grass. She has lost nine of her last 10 matches. She is facing a crisis of confidence and is really struggling to rediscover the good form she had in previous years, when she briefly broke into the WTA top 30. If Serena Williams had to pick from a list of 10 to 15 WTA players to play in the first round so that she could get a win and advance in the tournament, Maya Joint surely would have been on that list. This match will be a huge test of Joint’s sagging confidence. If she can’t beat a 44-year-old opponent who is making a very abrupt comeback, who else can she possibly beat on tour?
Best Bet to Make
This headline-grabbing WTA Wimbledon match will be a test of the general challenge of tennis. Usually, any older athlete who comes back after a very long layoff needs some time to get back into the rhythm and flow of competition. Serena Williams is playing in the main draw of Wimbledon without having first played a warm-up tournament on grass or going through the other steps tennis players normally take going into a major championship event. At 44 years of age (and she turns 45 in September), Serena Williams is unlikely to be match-fit. She is unlikely to be sharp enough to hit balls on the run. She might still be able to serve really well and win short points if Maya Joint can’t put returns in play.
However, if Joint can simply stay in the point for four or five shots, she will probably be able to make Serena run, and that’s when this match could quickly slip away from the 23-time major champion. Will Serena serve and return well enough to keep most points short and avoid a tiring and draining match? It’s unlikely with that much time off. Serena’s last match was in September of 2022 at the US Open. Not playing any warm-up event before this WTA Wimbledon showcase seems like an ill-advised decision, unless Serena doesn’t care about winning and is here just for the experience or the cheers of the crowd. If we are going to be serious about picking a winner and assessing which player is more likely to win, it’s not Serena. This is not the way a player should go about her business if she really wants to win. Joint moneyline is priced reasonably and is the obvious play here.
That being said, betting on Joint winning is a value bet for sure.
Value bet/ the best odds: Joint winning @1.72 @1xbet
Main Photo Credit: Simon Bruty-USA TODAY Sports
