Wimbledon 2026 is underway at the All England Club, with Express Sport delivering wall-to-wall coverage across all 14 days. The tournament features the return of 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams, Novak Djokovic's bid for a record 25th major, and 20 British players in the singles draws.
Serena Williams Returns After Nearly Four Years
Serena Williams, now 44, plays her first singles match since the 2022 US Open on Tuesday against Maya Joint. She becomes the second-oldest woman to compete in the Wimbledon singles draw, behind only Martina Navratilova (47 in 2004). A seven-time Wimbledon champion, Williams could face defending champion and third seed Iga Swiatek in the third round. Express Sport will cover every moment of her campaign.
Djokovic and Sinner Lead Men's Draw
Novak Djokovic, 39, aims for a 25th major title. 'I have a very good history in Wimbledon,' Djokovic said. 'That gives me a higher dose of confidence coming into the tournament.' Defending champion Jannik Sinner opens against Serbia's Miomir Kecmanovic. With Carlos Alcaraz absent due to a right-wrist injury, Sinner is the favourite but has struggled in heat. Alexander Zverev, fresh off his first Grand Slam at Roland Garros, seeks to improve on his best Wimbledon performance of round four.
Jack Draper Faces Taylor Fritz in First Round
British No. 1 Jack Draper, unseeded and ranked fourth in the world, takes on world No. 7 Taylor Fritz. Draper has won their last two meetings. He reached the semi-finals at Eastbourne last week after retiring in Barcelona in April. Express Sport will cover every second of this match.
Unpredictable Women's Draw
The women's draw has produced a unique champion in each of the last eight tournaments since Serena Williams went back-to-back in 2015-16. Coco Gauff, with a 7-3 win-loss record at Wimbledon, has never advanced past the quarter-finals. Last year's runner-up Amanda Anisimova aims to dethrone Iga Swiatek. World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, a four-time major winner, has lost in the semi-finals three times at Wimbledon. Mirra Andreeva, 19, won her first Slam at the French Open earlier this month.
20 Brits in Action
Twenty British players compete in the singles draws, with only one seeded: Cam Norrie (26th seed). Emma Raducanu, the 30th seed, withdrew due to injury before her first-round match against Antonia Ruzic. Katie Boulter seeks to surpass round three for the first time. Sonay Kartal, who reached round four last year, misses out due to injury. Harriet Dart faces Jelena Ostapenko in round one. In the men's draw, Norrie plays American qualifier Michael Zheng, hoping to repeat his 2022 semi-final run.
Full List of British Players at Wimbledon 2026
Women's singles: Harriet Dart vs Jelena Ostapenko; Mimi Xu vs Daria Kasatkina; Alicia Dudeney vs Alycia Parks; Hannah Klugman vs Barbora Krejcikova; Mika Stojsavljevic vs Belinda Bencic; Francesca Jones vs Diane Parry; Katie Swan vs Irina Camelia Begu; Katie Boulter vs Tyra Caterina Grant.
Men's singles: Felix Gill vs Rafael Jodar; Max Basing vs Shintaro Mochizuki; Jack Pinnington Jones vs Brandon Nakashima; Cam Norrie vs Michael Zheng; Oliver Tarvet vs Arthur Rinderknech; Billy Harris vs Karen Khachanov; Toby Samuel vs Jakub Mensik; Arthur Fery vs Damir Dzumhur; Jack Draper vs Taylor Fritz; Jan Choinski vs Vit Kopriva; Jacob Fearnley vs Alex Michelsen; Harry Wendelken vs Valentin Royer.
Express Sport Coverage
Express Sport will provide a daily live blog, exclusive interviews, and stories throughout the tournament. Readers can sign up for the tennis newsletter or join the WhatsApp community for updates.
