Wimbledon 2026 gets underway on Monday at the All England Club in London, with the first round matches beginning across the grass courts in what will be the 139th edition of the oldest tennis major in the world. Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, and Jannik Sinner headline the men’s draw. Iga Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka, and Coco Gauff lead the women’s field. Tickets for opening day are sold out and the BBC will carry full coverage from Centre Court.
Alcaraz is the defending champion in the men’s singles after his second consecutive Wimbledon title in 2025. The Spaniard arrives in strong form after a consistent clay and grass season, and the market has him as the narrow favorite to take a third straight title at the All England Club. Djokovic, 39, is still competing for an eighth Wimbledon title and a record-extending 25th Grand Slam singles win. His grass-court record remains exceptional even as his ranking has fluctuated.
In the women’s draw, Iga Swiatek enters as world number one looking to add a first Wimbledon title to her clay-court dominance. Swiatek has reached the semi-finals at Wimbledon in recent years but has not yet won on grass at a major. Aryna Sabalenka is seeded second and is one of the most dangerous players on any surface right now. Coco Gauff, the 2023 US Open champion, rounds out the top contenders.
Wimbledon 2026 runs until Sunday July 5, with the women’s final on Saturday July 4 and the men’s final on Sunday July 5. The order of play for the first day of the tournament includes British wildcard entries who have drawn significant home crowd attention across the outside courts.
The grass court season leading into Wimbledon saw Alcaraz win the Queen’s Club Championship and Swiatek take the Rothesay International in Eastbourne, both of which are traditional warm-up events on the Wimbledon circuit. Andy Murray’s retirement from singles competition last year removed one of the tournament’s most emotionally significant storylines.
Full draws, schedules, and broadcast information are at the official Wimbledon website. The US Open final round at Shinnecock Hills running simultaneously on Sunday means the weekend is one of the busier sports news days of the summer. Swiatek’s season arc and Alcaraz’s defending record are the central storylines as the two-week grass-court championship begins.
