Serena Williams makes her long-awaited return to singles tennis on day two of Wimbledon, but for British players the tournament is already shaping up to be a disaster after 10 home hopefuls crashed out on the opening day.
Serena Williams Returns After Four Years Away
The 44-year-old American, widely regarded as the greatest women's player of all time, takes on Maya Joint on Centre Court on Tuesday. Williams has won 23 Grand Slam singles titles, more than any other woman in the Open Era, plus four Olympic gold medals and 14 major doubles titles with her sister Venus. She has not played a competitive singles match in four years, has had a second daughter in that time, and only returned to doubles 21 days ago.
Williams admitted in her pre-tournament press conference that she was uncertain about competing: "I had until Monday to decide [to take the wildcard]. I think it was like Sunday [that I decided to]. I just wasn't sure up until then. Honestly, I'm still not even sure, but we'll see."
British Hopes in Tatters After Opening Day Carnage
Ten British players lost in the first round on Monday, with only Jack Pinnington Jones' match suspended when he was two sets down preventing an 11th defeat. British No.1 Emma Raducanu withdrew late on Sunday night due to injury, and Jack Draper pulled out mid-afternoon on Monday with an injury shortly before 26th seed Cameron Norrie lost in five sets.
The list of British losers on day one includes Oliver Tarvet, Felix Gill, Max Basing, Harriet Dart, Hannah Klugman, Mingge Xu, Alicia Dudeney, Mika Stojsavljevic and Fran Jones. Only eight Brits remain in the draw, and few are expected to reach the second round.
Katie Boulter Carries the Flag
The highest-ranked British player left is Katie Boulter, ranked 60th in the world and previously as high as 23rd. She faces Italian teenager Tyra Caterina Grant, ranked 172nd. Defeat would be another bitter blow for the Lawn Tennis Association.
Other Brits in action on Tuesday include Toby Samuel against 15th seed Jakub Mensik, Billy Harris against 19th seed Karen Khachanov, Harry Wendelken against Valentin Royer, Jacob Fearnley against Alex Michelsen, Arthur Fery against Damir Dzumhur, Katie Swan against Irina Camelia Begu, and Jan Choinski against Vit Kopriva.
Stan Wawrinka Could Be Playing His Last Wimbledon Match
Three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka, now 41, faces 2021 Wimbledon runner-up Matteo Berrettini on Court 1 in what could be his final match at the All England Club. Wawrinka has won the Australian Open, French Open and US Open but never progressed beyond the quarter-finals at Wimbledon. He is on his farewell tour and has been given a wildcard.
Remarkably, this is the first time Wawrinka and Berrettini have faced each other, despite both having been on tour for many years.
Five Must-Watch Matches on Day Two
- Jakub Mensik [15] vs Toby Samuel
- Thanasi Kokkinakis vs Alexander Bublik [10]
- Serena Williams vs Maya Joint
- Stan Wawrinka vs Matteo Berrettini
- Emma Navarro [23] vs Paula Badosa
Express Sport has reporters on the ground covering every moment of the 2026 Championships.
