After 50 long weeks, the travelling circus of international tennis has rolled into London for the only grass-court Grand Slam – and arguably, the most iconic on any surface – Wimbledon.
With the draw completed on Friday, the instantly recognisable strawberries now matured into perfect specimens, and the 30,000 plants grown at the All England Club manicured by a 20-strong team of gardeners, the stage is set for the gates opening on Monday, and the beginning of play.
But are you ready to for the Championships to begin?
Daily Mail Sport runs through the major talking points – including the bright British hopes, young guns to watch and the low-down on who you should back for the title.
WHO ARE THE FAVOURITES?
It’s impossible to look past world No 1 and defending champion Jannik Sinner. Before his shock French Open third-round exit last month, the Italian looked unstoppable on his relentless 30-match winning streak.
The 24-year-old has, at times, struggled in long matches and extreme heat with the mercury rising past 32 degrees when he lost to the unfancied Juan Manuel Cerundolo. Sinner, who took to court on the hottest June day recorded in London for an exhibition match on Wednesday, will be doing everything he can to keep cool and hydrated even without the threat of a heatwave when temperatures drop next week.
But has losing in Paris injected a seed of doubt into the serial winner? If so, Novak Djokovic stands to benefit the most. The 24-time Grand Slam champion remains in the hunt for that elusive 25th major title, it has long been suggested that the Serbian veteran’s best chance could come on grass.
Last year’s champion Jannik Sinner remains without equal when it comes to tour results
But Novak Djokovic remains hungry for his 25th Grand Slam title – and has beaten the Italian
The 39-year-old also has a strong evidence to suggest that he might be able to get the better of Sinner when the time comes, with Djokovic beating the defending champion in five stunning sets at this year’s Australian Open semi-final.
Djokovic has been playing few events outside of the Grand Slams, but acquitted himself well in Paris when he was defeated in an electric clash by up-and-comer Joao Fonseca. That he could meet the Brazilian teenager again in a potential round-of-16 meeting could be his biggest stumbling block.
On the women’s side of the draw, it’s similar unfair to rule out Aryna Sabalenka. The world No 1 has never done as well at Wimbledon as she perhaps should have done, stymied as much by form as by injury that kept her out in 2024, and the ban on Belarusian and Russian players in 2022.
The only impediment to Sabalenka however might by the champion herself, with last year’s US Open winner experiencing troubling collapses during recent defeats – first to Diana Shnaider at the French Open, where she lost from 6-3, 4-1 up, and then last week in Berlin, where she similarly lost the third set to love against Jessica Pegula.
CHALLENGERS OF NOTE
No other surface on the circuit punishes like grass, its slippery quickness sometimes never mastered by a top player – which is why looking to the build-up events before the start of the tournament can offer additional intrigue when hunting outsiders.
21-year-old Czech star Linda Noskova won both the singles and the doubles in Berlin this year, entering the top 10 for the first time, and despite her age, her arrival at the summit feels overdue. She made to the fourth round last year before she was downed by Amanda Anisimova, eventual finalist.
Her opponent in the final in the German capital, Jessica Pegula, also has form on the turf, having previously won at Berlin and Bad Homburg. But despite the Wimbledon groundskeepers overseeing the turf in Germany to ensure players at both tournaments are adequately prepared, Pegula has always seemed happier on the other side of the Channel. Last year, Pegula was the first ultra-high seed to fall as a swathe of tall poppies were cut down in first round in the south London heat. In cooler climes, she should do better.
Jessica Pegula was knocked out early last year but has impressive grass court form this year
Donna Vekic and Ben Shelton are two other notable winners from the slender grass-court season, with the former defeating Emma Raducanu at Queen’s and latter winning the Stuttgart Open where he defeated his compatriot Taylor Fritz. 2024 Olympic silver medalist Vekic has previously made it to the semi-finals (2024), while Shelton made his quarter-finals debut last year. Fritz is worth keeping an eye on too as a fine grass court player – but is coming back from a long spell out with injury.
A final outside chance should always be given – when he’s in the draw, that is – to Matteo Berrettini. A true grass-court specialist with a scythed serve and elegant backhand slice, the Italian broke new ground for his nation in 2021 when he made the final, only to have all records shattered ad ad infinitum by one Jannik Sinner. Few players have as bad or as unlucky an injury record as the Roman, which has kept him out of contention for several year, but a surprising run to the quarter-finals at Roland-Garros gave fans a flicker of hope for a return to strong form in London.
BRITS IN THE DRAW
Let’s rip off the plaster quickly: there have been stronger British fields heading to SW19 than this year.
That has not been helped by Raducanu being forced to withdraw on the eve of Wimbledon, as she confirmed she had suffered a stress fracture to her leg.
Raducanu had initially hoped to play through a ‘niggle’ having been spotted in a protective boot days before the tournament, but confirmation of the severity of the injury has ruled her out.
It is a major blow for Raducanu, who had impressed with her all-court grass game on the way to making the Queen’s final.
On the men’s side, yes, Jack Draper made it to the semi-finals at Eastbourne, but in his own words, his ranking of 160 is now a ‘postcode’ and he has played just seven matches since March too.
Former British No 1 Jack Draper is being coached by the legendary Andy Murray as he returns from injury
Draper, who is unseeded in the draw, has a mountain to climb against No 6 seed Taylor Fritz, who made the semi-finals in 2025. But with the help of new coach – and two-time Wimbledon champion – Andy Murray, counting him out entirely might be foolhardy.
Cameron Norrie is a solid Wimbledon presence, performing particularly well on his preferred No 1 Court, but he appears to be struggling somewhat after retiring from the French Open with a rib injury. Katie Boulter will have confidence after beating world No 2 Elena Rybakina at Queen’s, but was brought back down to Earth with a bump when she was knocked out of the first round at Bad Homburg by Leylah Fernandez.
But it’s not all doom and gloom – in fact, the stage is well-poised for an upset thanks to some compelling young talents among the wildcards. Keep your eyes peeled for last year’s Junior French Open finalist Hannah Klugman, and 2024 Junior US Open winner Mika Stojsavljevic, both of whom are 17, in particular. Both of whom have fearsome opponents, with Klugman to face 2024 champion Barbora Krejcikova, and Stojsaveljevic
More wildcards were awarded to Jacob Fearnley, Jack Pinnington Jones, Toby Samuel, Harry Wendelken, and Felix Gill on the men’s side of the draw, and Katie Swan, Mimi Xu, and Alicia Dudeney on the women’s. Oliver Tarvet, Max Basing, and Arthur Fery have made it through qualifying.
BIGGEST TALKING POINTS
Serena’s Return
Serena Williams might have obfuscated her way through her Queen’s doubles press conference and said that singles wasn’t on her mind, but the moment Wimbledon released all but one of its wildcards last week, the tennis world had guessed – Serena was back.
A seven-time champion in SW19, Williams is the undisputed GOAT of women’s tennis, which has made the clamour around her return to the draw deafening. But the fact remains that it has been four years since the 44-year-old played competitive singles, and she has only played two doubles matches since returning to action this month.
Serena Williams is back in action after four years away from the sport after getting a wildcard
William’s serve still maintains a wicked whip, and she was at times lethal at the net when she and Victoria Mboko – who was forced to end their partnership prematurely after suffering a brutal injury – but it will be her movement under the most scrutiny as one of the oldest players on either tour.
But what isn’t in doubt is her superlative grass-court record, and towering reputation – and that could make the difference in the early rounds. Tuning into her return against world No 53 Maya Joint on Tuesday will provide box-office viewing either way.
Wild wild wildcards
More than ever, the system of Wimbledon wildcards has been under heavy scrutiny. Yes, Serena Williams is a living legend, but should she be offered berth into the main draw over someone at the start of a promising career? And what about the Brits? With £80,000 for losing the first round (yes, really), is it fair that higher ranked homegrown players are handed wildcard opportunities year after year despite minimal return?
Unable to solve the conundrum in a few short paragraphs here, attention should turn to one particularly egregious oversight: that of Dan Evans. The former world No 21 is retiring this season, and has more than proved his credentials in British colours thanks to a strong showing as Andy Murray’s last Olympics doubles partner, and countless Davis Cup turns. Instead of granting him a main draw wildcard however, Wimbledon have preferred to see the 36-year-old slog through a qualifying week in the mid-30-degrees. The gamble did not pay off, and after losing to Tristan Schoolkate in the second row, Evans will have to have his Wimbledon bow when he plays doubles with fellow West Midlands native Henry Searle.
A fallen champion
Just days before the draw, another awkward whiff of doping scandal around Wimbledon. Both Sinner and Swiatek had been handed bans for testing positive – although the two champions had both been declared to have had ‘no fault or negligence’ for their contamination with banned substances. Now, 2023 champion Marketa Vondrousova has been hit with a stunning four-year suspension for refusing to take a test last December.
The issue of not taking a test altogether is an immensely thorny one. A number of players have come out in support of Vondrousova and the particularly stringent punishment she has received. But without a significant penalty for refusing to test, how can tennis claim to be a clean sport?
As the International Tennis Integrity Agency, tennis’ fair play organisation, prepares to release its written reasons for the length of Vondrousova’s ban, and the player prepares her own appeal – and shares her own opinion on the verdict in the media, expect stars at Wimbledon to be asked for their own thoughts on the matter throughout the week.
YOUNG STARS TO WATCH
Rafael Jodar (23rd seed)
19-year-old Jodar, who is not named for his country’s most famous tennis star, is only seven months into his professional career, but has shot up the rankings after claiming his first ATP title in Marrakesh in April. Couple this with a run to the quarter-finals at last month’s French Open, where he was stopped by eventual winner Alexander Zverev, and Jodar will arrive in SW19 as the 23rd seed. As exciting as watching his first professional match on grass will be, Brits maybe disappointed to learn his opponent is home wildcard Felix Gill.
Iva Jovic (16th seed)
18-year-old Jovic has been on the radar of diehard tennis fans since last year, but Brits will have sat up when she made a strong run at Queen’s this month, before losing to Raducanu in the semi-finals. Seeded 16th in SW19, the California native counts fellow Serbian Djokovic as one of her mentors.
Alexandra Eala (29th seed)
Only Brazil’s Joao Fonseca can legitimately lay claim to attracting more fans at tournaments around the world than Eala, the first Filipino to crack the top 30 and win a tour-level event. One year on from the 21-year-old’s breakout Miami Open, she poured full focus into the grass season, winning at Birmingham and making the semi-finals in Berlin.
Zachary Svajda (unseeded)
There was scarcely a dry eye at Roland-Garros when unseeded American Zachary Svajda dedicated his third-round victory against 25th seed Francisco Cerundolo to his late father, on what would have been his 61st birthday. The 23-year-old lost his father Tom, who was a tennis coach, in October. After losing to eventual finalist Flavio Cobolli in the next round, it should be intriguing to see how he navigates his first time in the main draw in southwest London.
French Open runner-up Maja Chwalinska will make her main draw debut in London next week
Maja Chwalinska (20th seed)
Despite reaching the French Open final – and turning up in the capital as the 20th seed – Maja Chwalinska is only in the draw by virtue of a wildcard. Last month, she was the world No 114 and a qualifier who went on an unbelievable run in Paris with a game that surprised her opponents and delighted those in the stands.
Tyra Caterina Grant (qualifier)
18-year-old Tyra Caterina Grant may be playing Katie Boulter, but British interest isn’t the only reason to pay attention. The Rome-born teenager trained at the same Italian Riviera facility, run by coach Riccardo Piatti, as a young Jannik Sinner, and despite having grown up representing her basketball star father Tyrone’s United States, but has since switched allegiances to Italy. As well as signposting how Italy has become a major player in tennis over the past few years, it also allowed her to become a Billie Jean King Cup champion for the first time last autumn.
WHAT’S THE PRIZE MONEY?
For all of the player’s complaints, the All England Club have a substantial prize pot up for grabs over the next two weeks: £64.2million in total.
That means that men’s and women’s singles champions will earn £3.6m for their troubles – but even more sensationally, losing the first round of the main draw sees a player pocket £80,000.
The top stars protesting insist however that Wimbledon are some £7m off what they believe the purse should be.
Genie Bouchard is one of the new pundits as BBC look to give their coverage the edge in 2026
PUNDITS TO WATCH
BBC veteran Andrew Castle will call his last Championships this summer after 23 years at the broadcaster, but as one door closes, the channel have opened a window by inviting in fresh talent in the commentary box.
Among those new to the broadcaster is tennis glamour girl and former Wimbledon finalist Genie Bouchard, and Andy Murray’s doubles champion brother Jamie.
Tennis legend Andre Agassi will return for the final stages of the tournament after an impressive debut last year, with former British star Laura Robson also adding new sheen to the long-time rightsholder.
But as much as new hires might prove popular with fans, one decision could ruffle feathers, with the BBC moving their Today At Wimbledon highlights show to the graveyard 11pm slot from 8pm.
