Coco Gauff has offered guidance to Maya Joint, who faces Serena Williams in the first round at Wimbledon on Tuesday. The 20-year-old Australian will meet the seven-time champion in her return to singles after a four-year absence.
Gauff, who upset Venus Williams at Wimbledon as a 15-year-old, advised Joint to avoid glancing at the scoreboard during the match.
“When I was in that position, I didn’t look at scoreboard the whole match,” Gauff said in her pre-Wimbledon press conference. “I did not want to see Venus’ name. No matter how much you try to block it out, I feel like once you see the name, it makes everything seem real. Maybe don’t look at the scoreboard.”
Joint, ranked world No. 87, expressed surprise at the matchup. “I was surprised. I never thought I’d get to play against her,” she said. Williams, 44, warmed up with doubles at Queen’s Club this month but has not played singles since 2022.
The winner faces a challenging draw that could include Alexandra Eala in round two and defending champion Iga Swiatek in round three.
