In the first 25 years of Serena Williams’ historic playing career, Sam Stosur was the only Australian to beat her in a professional singles match.
Stosur scored three victories over Williams between 2009 and 2011, including twice at Grand Slam tournaments – the 2010 Roland Garros quarterfinals and the 2011 US Open final. She is one of the few players in history to hold a winning record over Williams in Slam matches.
When Williams announced her retirement in 2022 ahead of that year’s US Open, Stosur discussed that achievement and what it was like to compete with the greatest of all time on the game’s biggest stages. But just a few days later, Stosur’s record was no longer unique.
Fellow Australian Ajla Tomljanovic drew the curtain on Williams’ career with a phenomenal third-round win in New York.
Then, almost four years after that Tomljanovic US Open match, Williams announced an unlikely singles comeback at Wimbledon in 2026 and drew Maya Joint in round one. “I think it’s very cool that the next person she’s facing is another fellow Aussie,” Tomljanovic told Stan Sport.
Tomljanovic and Joint are Australian Billie Jean King Cup teammates and captained by Stosur, who sat in Joint’s entourage as the 20-year-old defeated Williams in a Wimbledon Centre Court thriller on Tuesday evening in London.
What’s more, sitting in the opposing entourage was another Aussie, Rennae Stubbs, part of Williams’ coaching staff.
In the Wimbledon women’s doubles final of 2009, Stosur and Stubbs were partners, facing Serena and Venus Williams on the same court they were now watching Serena, competing still, at age 44.
“There is a lot to unpack,” Stosur agreed when chatting to tennis.com.au from London, the morning after Joint’s 6-3 6-7(6) 6-3 triumph over Williams.
“Obviously there's tactics that go into a match, but for me, the tactics were completely irrelevant if [Maya] didn't hold herself the way she did.
“Serena commands the court and everything else that goes along with it – what's going on with timing, the crowd, getting them up, keeping them calm. It can be a really daunting task, but even if maybe you don't believe it wholeheartedly, you [still] have to walk out there saying, ‘hey, I belong, it takes two to play this match and I'm the other person, right?’
“You have to obviously have huge respect, but you can't just give it all to her, otherwise there's no chance.”
Stosur told Joint that playing Williams required wholehearted commitment to executing the correct tactics on every point. There was no chance of winning if she didn’t, but a small chance of victory if she did – making the choice simple.
Stosur said that clarity relaxed her going into matches against Williams, eliminating doubt about what to do on court.
“I don't know if [Maya] remembered that yesterday… [But] I think going into it, my biggest message and hope for her was just to play how she knows she can play. And if she was scared and timid and a bit not-so-confident like she has been, she's not going to win. Even if it’s against someone who's not played for four years… we know that Queen can bring it anytime.
“What I was so pleased with is that right from the first point really, she just looked like she belonged. And then that set the tone.”
READ MORE: Maya Joint - From dream showdown to dream result
Indeed, Joint’s victory was extra significant given it came completely against the form guide.
Wins have been hard to come by this season for the Aussie youngster, who struggled with a back injury earlier in 2026 and then with form after that.
She entered Wimbledon with a 3-15 win-loss record this year and on an 11-match losing streak at tour level. From a peak ranking of 28th in February, she had fallen to world No.87.
Despite the daunting task ahead of Joint, Stosur said the news from the draw ceremony galvanised the Australian players.
“As soon as it happened, I think all of us were like, what an amazing opportunity,” Stosur said. “Like, it’s going to be Centre Court. You never, ever thought you'd get a chance to play her, let alone on this court. Like, everyone dreams of playing on this court as a tennis player.
“I think everyone was pumped for her. Even walking inside yesterday afternoon after Kim [Birrell's] match, we were in the corridor and Maya happened to come out of the locker room at the same time. Kim stood there, put her hands on her shoulders and gave her a little pep talk. It was great. The camaraderie was awesome.
“Ellen [Perez] was in the player box for a little bit. I think she knew she had all the support from her teammates which is pretty awesome.”
Joint went out and produced a memorable performance on the sport’s most storied court. While both women finished with 37 unforced errors, Joint struck 14 more winners overall, including 10 aces – three more than the greatest ever server in the women’s game.
“I think from all accounts, she seemed good going into the match,” Stosur revealed. “Of course, she's nervous – that goes without saying. But I think she did a lot of work with her guys.
“We were looking at it from the point of view of who Serena was four years ago and before, because we had no data, no vision, nothing on her now. So you have to go into [the match] treating it as who she was. You just had no idea.
“This match could turn her year around. Now she has to just be like, ‘what moment is going to be bigger than that in the near future?’”
Next up for Joint is a second-round clash with No.29 seed Alexandra Eala, a rematch of their thrilling 2025 Eastbourne final which Joint won – saving four championship points in the process – for her second WTA title.
Stosur believed the positive emotions from those memories could fuel Joint as the 20-year-old targets a place in the third round of a Grand Slam for the first time.
LAST TIME THEY MET: Maya magic strikes in Eastbourne
“It's still game on. The tournament's not over,” Stosur said.
“She’s going to have a whole crowd of support [against her for Eala] – Filipinos follow her everywhere, and it's a great kind of spectacle as well. But [Maya] just had 10,000 people in there [in Centre Court cheering Serena]. Wherever she gets to play next is going to be great.
“She's just going to go into it with the same exact mindset and go out there and play to win. And be brave and try and do it again.”
You can watch Wimbledon on the channels of the Nine Network and Stan Sport.