The Wimbledon 2026 draw has produced several exciting matchups, with seven-time champion Novak Djokovic landing in defending champion Jannik Sinner’s half of the men’s singles draw.
Djokovic, chasing a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam title, faces a challenging path that could see him meet world no.1 Sinner in the semifinals. Djokovic, seeded seventh, opens his campaign against China’s Wu Yibing. If he advances, he could face Stefanos Tsitsipas or Hugo Gaston in the second round, Arthur Rinderknech in the third round, Andrey Rublev or Brazil’s Joao Fonseca in the fourth round, and third seed Felix Auger-Aliassime in the quarterfinals.
Defending champion Jannik Sinner begins his title defense against Serbia’s Miomir Kecmanovic. A successful run could pit him against the winner of Nuno Borges and Tristan Boyer in the second round before possible meetings with Ignacio Buse and either Rafael Jodar or Luciano Darderi. Sinner’s projected quarterfinal opponent is Daniil Medvedev, who starts against 2017 Wimbledon finalist Marin Cilic. The Italian holds a 10-7 head-to-head advantage over Medvedev and has won 10 of their last 11 meetings. In the opposite half, Alexander Zverev faces Belgian youngster Alexander Blockx in the opening round. His projected route includes Harry Wendelken or Valentin Royer, Matteo Arnaldi, Jiri Lehecka or Francisco Cerundolo before a likely quarterfinal showdown against Taylor Fritz.
One of the most anticipated first-round matches features Taylor Fritz against Britain’s Jack Draper. Fritz has dominated Zverev in recent years, winning their last seven meetings, including victories at Wimbledon and Halle. Ben Shelton opens against Otto Virtanen and could meet Jakub Mensik or Arthur Fils in the fourth round. Australia’s Alex de Minaur is projected as his quarterfinal opponent. French Open finalist Flavio Cobolli starts against Mariano Navone, while veteran Stan Wawrinka begins what is expected to be his final Wimbledon campaign against former finalist Matteo Berrettini.
Third seed Felix Auger-Aliassime takes on Alexander Shevchenko before a possible quarterfinal clash with Djokovic. Meanwhile, Rafael Jodar faces British wildcard Felix Gill, and Joao Fonseca meets Roberto Bautista Agut in another intriguing opener. Former French Open finalist Casper Ruud has been handed a difficult first-round test against Hubert Hurkacz. The main draw runs from June 29 to July 12.
Emma Raducanu faces fitness concern ahead of Wimbledon
Emma Raducanu’s Wimbledon preparations have been overshadowed by concerns over a shin injury. The former US Open champion has reportedly missed several practice sessions at Aorangi Park and is racing against time to be fit for the Championships. Raducanu has been drawn against Croatia’s Antonia Ruzic in the first round. The pair previously met at the Dubai Championships earlier this year, where Raducanu lost while recovering from a viral illness.
Should she progress, Raducanu could face fellow Brit Harriet Dart in the second round before a potential blockbuster third-round encounter with world no.1 Aryna Sabalenka. The same matchup occurred at Wimbledon last year when Sabalenka edged Raducanu in straight sets after a highly competitive contest on Centre Court. Sabalenka opens her campaign against Serbian qualifier Teodora Kostovic.
Elsewhere in the women’s draw, Serena Williams returns to Wimbledon after a four-year absence and faces Australia’s Maya Joint in the opening round. A second-round meeting with Alexandra Eala is a possibility. Defending women’s champion Iga Swiatek begins against American Taylor Townsend. British teenage wildcards Hannah Klugman and Mika Stojsavljevic have been handed difficult first-round opponents in Barbora Krejcikova and Belinda Bencic, respectively.
On the men’s side, Britain’s Jack Draper faces one of the toughest opening-round tests against Taylor Fritz, while Cameron Norrie meets qualifier Michael Zheng. Novak Djokovic takes on Wu Yibing in his opening match as the seventh seed, while Stan Wawrinka’s farewell Wimbledon campaign starts against Matteo Berrettini. A total of 21 British players, 12 men and nine women, feature in the singles draws. Weather forecasts indicate cooler temperatures for the Championships following the intense heatwave that affected much of northern Europe.