Wimbledon 2026 begins Monday, June 29 with the draw already confirmed: Jannik Sinner goes in as defending champion and top men’s seed, Aryna Sabalenka heads the women’s draw, and Serena Williams walks back onto a Grand Slam court for the first time since the 2022 US Open. The total prize money for this year’s Championships has been set at £64.2 million — a 20 percent increase on 2025 and the largest year-on-year rise in the tournament’s history.

Play on Centre Court starts at 1:30 p.m. local time each day. Outside courts begin at 11 a.m. The full order of play for Monday was released Sunday, with Sinner and Sabalenka both scheduled for opening-round appearances.

Serena Williams’ Return Is the Story That Overshadows Everything Else

Four years away from the biggest stages. A retirement at the 2022 US Open that felt definitive. And then, last spring, a quiet return to the WTA tour through the clay season that built to this. Williams, 44, draws 20-year-old Maya Joint in the first round, and the match on Centre Court Monday will likely be the most watched first-round match in years.

The practical question is where her game actually sits after years away from this level. The emotional storyline is obvious and already being told. What most people want to know is whether Williams can still compete for a title — or whether this is a farewell tour dressed up as a comeback. Monday will answer at least some of that.

Sinner Defends and Djokovic Chases History

Jannik Sinner won Wimbledon last year and arrives in 2026 having held the world number one ranking for the better part of twelve months. He is a different player on grass than he was two years ago — the serve has improved, and his ability to stay at the baseline even on the slick Centre Court surface has made him the most complete player in the men’s draw.

Novak Djokovic is still in pursuit of his 25th Grand Slam. He has not been as consistent in 2026 as in previous years, but Wimbledon, where he has won seven times, still brings something out of him that few other venues can. The draw will determine whether these two collide before the final.

The Women’s Draw: Sabalenka, Swiatek, and a Field With No Clear Story

Aryna Sabalenka enters as top seed, but Iga Swiatek is the defending Wimbledon champion. The two have traded Grand Slam titles across 2025 and into 2026, and the women’s event this year feels more open than it has for several years. The grass-court specialists who fill the second week of the draw will matter more than they do at any other Slam.

Williams’ potential run, if she moves through the early rounds, would reshape everything — the scheduling, the attention, the odds. If she goes out in the first two rounds, the field resets to a familiar rivalry at the top.

Wimbledon 2026 starts with more story lines than it has had in years — and most of them lead back to one name on the order of play Monday.