Maya Joint, Australia's top-ranked tennis player, has opened up about her disastrous year, confessing that there have been moments during her alarming form slump when she questioned whether she should be playing at all. The 20-year-old, who is based in Queensland, has received encouragement from her BJK Cup captain Sam Stosur and is determined to kick-start her revival this week in the Netherlands, promising, 'I'll be back.'
A Nightmarish Run
Joint heads into the 's-Hertogenbosch grass-court tournament on a horrific streak, with her first-round thrashing by Anastasia Potapova at the French Open marking her 10th consecutive defeat in an injury-affected losing run that began in January. Some relief came with a straight-sets win at a minor W125 tournament this week, but she lost in the second round to a qualifier ranked 297th in the world.
This is a far cry from last year, when Joint, still a teenager, was arguably the breakout player on the women's tour. She won two tournaments and soared up the rankings from 118 at the start of 2025 to No. 28 by February. But things have gone horribly wrong for the US-born star since then, with a complicated on-off back injury compounding her woes. She was refreshingly open as she reflected on her struggles at Roland Garros.
Moments of Doubt
'There are definitely moments where I've thought, 'Oh, should I be doing this anymore?'' Joint admitted. 'I mean, it's been a rough half of the year. But everyone thinks that at some point, especially after losing quite a few matches in a row. I've talked with my team about it, and I love the sport — and I want to keep playing for as long as I can.'
The low point, she explained, came at a W125 tournament in Paris three weeks ago, where she lost 5-7, 6-0, 6-3 to Chloe Paquet, a player ranked 243 places below her. That defeat made her feel like packing it in. 'But that was a momentary lack of judgement. The next day I was back out on the practice court, still loving it. It was a little dip,' Joint said.
Second-Year Struggles
Like the creation of a 'difficult' second album, Joint has found her second full year on the circuit a real chore. 'That first year, I was kind of new on tour, people didn't really know how I played, I was the underdog, and just kind of went out and swung. This year, I definitely felt a bit more pressure, especially at the Australian Open (where she was eliminated in the first round by Tereza Valentova), wanting to do well at my home tournament. But I've reached the point now where I'm just back at being the underdog, kind of, and just going out and swinging and seeing what happens.'
Amid this four-and-a-half-month losing streak, those closest to her, like her father Michael Joint, a former squash pro, have encouraged her, saying all will be well. Former US Open champion Sam Stosur has also been a rock. 'She reached out and was actually a very big help, saying she'd been in my shoes, going through slumps in her career,' Joint said. 'Her advice really helped. She told me to try and find the joy again, get back to things I enjoy doing out on the court, 'don't stress too much over what happens', just let go a little bit, and don't think about anything, except just enjoying yourself.'
Looking Ahead
Joint has taken that advice to heart, but what she needs now is wins. Back on grass, the surface on which she won her second tournament last year at Eastbourne, she says she is fit again and 'not far away' from that elusive breakthrough. 'It's been tough going for sure, but surely I'll win at some point,' she says. 'My game's there, it didn't go away. It's definitely there. I definitely still have it. All this has to happen for a reason, so I'll come out of it stronger — and if not, then I don't know. We'll be back here talking about it!'
She summons up a smile, reminded of her self-promoted nickname — the Ginger Ninja. 'Try to be,' she smiles, adding with a laugh: 'I'll be back.'
