AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 20, 2026

Maya Joint

Press Conference

T. VALENTOVA/M. Joint

6-4, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Maya, obviously a tough one today. What made Tereza a difficult opponent, do you think?

MAYA JOINT: I think she served really well today. She was hitting her spots, mixing up where she was hitting them.

Yeah, she had powerful groundstrokes. She played well today, yeah.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. Was it a case of just not being able to find your rhythm today?

MAYA JOINT: Yeah, I had a few more double faults than usual. I think I had quite a few unforced errors today. Yeah, just a tough, tough match.

Q. The current situation with Michael Zheng, who is an Oz Open player, but he is also enrolled in a U.S. college, and he may have to forfeit his prize money, does that resonate with you?

MAYA JOINT: I can't comment on NCAA, sorry.

Q. Coming in as Australia's top-ranked female player with a seeding, did you feel a little bit of extra pressure coming into this year's tournament?

MAYA JOINT: Yeah, I've gotten a lot of questions on that, and honestly, the seeding didn't really feel anything different than to a normal tournament.

I wanted to do really well here. I thought I had a good chance. So it's definitely a bit disappointing after today, but I'll just try and get back at it next week.

Q. You had a long chat with your coach midway through that second set during the toilet break. He appeared to be talking to you about maybe topspin, or just talk us through that discussion. It felt like you didn't quite get the game back on your terms.

MAYA JOINT: We were talking mostly about second serve. I was struggling a bit with that, just to, yeah, commit to it, keep brushing up over it. Yeah, that was mainly what it was about.

Q. (Indiscernible) obviously during the United Cup, how much does that effect your preparation coming into the AO?

MAYA JOINT: I mean, it was unfortunate timing that I got sick during that first match, but I was feeling fine then again for Adelaide, and I was feeling good. So I think it didn't really affect my preparation, I don't think, that much.

Q. Obviously the first Grand Slam of the year, but the first few as an Australian. I know you said that the seed doesn't necessarily affect how you come into the tournament, but is the experience itself, I guess, a little challenging and difficult being an Australian playing in Australia?

MAYA JOINT: I think we're really lucky as Australians to have a Grand Slam in our own country. We get a lot of support. It just makes it a very special experience and just a tournament that we look forward to every year, yeah.

Q. Do you think NCAA rules in the U.S. that prevent college athletes from earning prize money while on tour need to change?

MAYA JOINT: I can't comment on NCAA rules, sorry.

Q. What's the schedule look like the next few months before Indian Wells and Miami?

MAYA JOINT: I still have doubles here, so I'll be playing that. And then I'll go to the Middle East swing: Doha, Abu Dhabi, Dubai. Then, yeah, do a training week, I think, and then Indian Wells, Miami.

Q. Obviously still really quite young in the scheme of things. This experience, do you feel like it builds your learnings and you're able to take it forward from your disappointment today?

MAYA JOINT: Yeah, I mean, it can only get better from year to year. Disappointing, for sure.

I think I'll learn a lot from this match. Just, yeah, come back stronger next year pretty much.

Q. It seems like we have a pretty strong contingent of female Aussie tennis players right now. How do you see the group growing up with you and around you?

MAYA JOINT: Yeah, I think there is a ton of amazing Aussie women coming up right at the moment, and we all know each other really well. We all train together.

So we're a tight-knit group, so we all support each other.