‘Don’t Look’ – Coco Gauff Offers Tips to Serena Williams’ Opponent Maya Joint Ahead of Wimbledon Clash

Coco Gauff gave some advice to Maya Joint as the Australian gets ready to take on Serena Williams in the first round of the 2026 Wimbledon Championships.

The match will mark Williams’ return to singles tennis after her retirement following the 2022 US Open.

Coco Gauff Explains How Maya Joint Can Defeat Serena Williams

Joint has the unenviable task of going first up against Williams, a 23-time Grand Slam champion. However, it remains to be seen at what level the 44-year-old will compete, four years after her last singles match on the WTA Tour.

Gauff, who has never played Serena but has beaten Venus Williams twice, spoke about what Joint can do to prepare for her match against the tennis legend.

“When I was in that position [playing Venus Williams], I didn’t look at the scoreboard the whole match because I did not want to see Venus’s name. No matter how much you try to block it out, once you see the name, it makes everything seem real. So maybe don’t look at the scoreboard,” Gauff said during her pre-Wimbledon press conference.

Gauff also spoke about how Joint can expect the unknown from her fellow Michigan-born tennis player. However, she believes the Australian must enter the contest with the belief that she can defeat Williams.

“You also have to go into the match with the belief that you can win and expect that they’re going to play great tennis. It’s different because we haven’t seen Serena play in many years. So there’s not really much of a scouting report you can go off of. But anybody playing a Williams sister, it’s not easy,” she added.

Gauff also paid tribute to the Williams sisters, calling them the “biggest” inspiration to her career. The two-time Grand Slam champion shared that watching the Williams sisters play gave her the belief that she could become a successful tennis player.

“I played the sport because of them. I believed that I can do things because of them, and I still look up to them a lot. Even when I played them, I am still admiring. I think that’s the only time that has happened to me in this sport,” Gauff said.

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Gauff, who is still searching for her first title of 2026, has dropped to No. 7 in the WTA rankings ahead of the Wimbledon Championships. She does not have the best record at the All England Club, with fourth-round appearances in 2019, 2021, and 2024 as her best results.

The American, who was sent packing in the first round of Wimbledon last year, faces Tamara Korpatsch in her opener on Monday.