Maya Joint has been handed an undeniably intimidating assignment in her 2026 opener at Wimbledon, with the Australian drawn to face Serena Williams in the opening round.
Williams, a seven-time singles champion at the All England Club, is making a comeback to the tournament in both singles and doubles at age 44.
The American, who last competed at The Championships four years ago, is a wildcard recipient at this year’s event.
Williams contested the first of her 21 main-draw Wimbledon campaigns in 1998 – eight years before Joint, who turned 20 in April, was born.
Joint – among a 13-strong Australian contingent (five women and eight men) in action from Monday – is contesting the tournament for only the second time.
On paper at least, Australian women were otherwise dealt more manageable opponents as they prepare to launch their 2026 campaigns.
Ajla Tomljanovic and Kimberly Birrell both face qualifiers, taking on Georgia's Mariam Bolkvadze and Australian Open 2023 girls' champion Alina Korneeva respectively.
Daria Kasatkina meets a local wildcard in 18-year-old Brit Mimi Xu.
Talia Gibson is the only Australian woman who’ll face a seeded opponent, with the 22-year-old facing 21st-seeded Czech Marie Bouzkova.
There were mixed fortunes for the eight Australians contesting the men’s draw.
While Alex de Minaur, the No.5 seed and a 2024 Wimbledon quarterfinalist, has a favourable opener against world No.66 Roman Andres Burruchaga, two of his compatriots face seeded opponents.
Alexei Popyrin will meet Czech Jiri Lehecka – the No.13 seed and a finalist at Queen’s last year – and Thanasi Kokkinakis faces the 10th-seeded Alexander Bublik in his first match at Wimbledon since 2024.
The 30-year-old returns to Wimbledon with a protected ranking as he continues his comeback from pectoral surgery early last year.
Two Australian men will face Dutch opponents – James Duckworth taking on Tallon Griekspoor and Rinky Hijikata aimiing to progress past Jesper De Jong.
Adam Walton is preparing for a first-round meeting with Croatia’s Dino Prizmic, while Aleksandar Vukic readies for an assignment against American Jenson Brooksby.
Sydneysider Dane Sweeny, who provided a feel-good story as he battled through qualifying, meets a sentimental favourite in Grigor Dimitrov.
The former semifinalist returns as a wildcard after suffering a devastating injury while leading eventual champion Jannik Sinner in the 2025 fourth round.
| Wimbledon 2006 Men's singles, first round | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Rank | Player | Rank | |
| [5] Alex de Minaur (AUS) | 6 | v | Roman Andrews Burruchaga (ARG) | 66 |
| James Duckworth (AUS) | 78 | v | Tallon Griekspoor (NED) | 39 |
| Rinky Hijikata (AUS) | 83 | v | Jesper De Jong (NED) | 74 |
| Adam Walton (AUS) | 92 | v | Dino Prizmic (CRO) | 81 |
| Alexei Popyrin (AUS) | 100 | v | [13] Jiri Lechecka (CZE) | 14 |
| Aleskandar Vukic (AUS) | 103 | v | Jenson Brooksby (USA) | 67 |
| [Q] Dane Sweeny (AUS) | 126 | v | [WC] Grigor Dimitrov (BUL) | 164 |
| Thanasi Kokkinakis (AUS) | 492 | v | [10] Alexander Bublik (KAZ) | 11 |
| Wimbledon 2006 Women's singles, first round | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Rank | Player | Rank | |
| Maya Joint (AUS) | 53 | v | [WC] Serena Williams (USA) | - |
| Talia Gibson (AUS) | 57 | v | [21] Marie Bouzkova (CZE) | 22 |
| Daria Kasatkina (AUS) | 68 | v | [WC] Mimi Xu | 327 |
| Kimberly Birrell (AUS) | 73 | v | [Q] Alina Korneeva | 94 |
| Ajla Tomljanovic (AUS) | 98 | v | [Q] Mariam Bolkvadze (GEO) | 539 |