The biggest Wimbledon stars to watch in 2026 are Jannik Sinner, Novak Djokovic, Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Świątek and Coco Gauff, plus a wrist-crocked Carlos Alcaraz and Serena Williams’s comeback. You can now enjoy strawberries and cream on the court.
Wimbledon begins from 29 June to 12 July 2026 at the All England Club, dates courtesy of the LTA. Wikipedia will tell you it’s been running since 1877, the oldest event in tennis and the last major still played on proper grass.
- Sinner defends his crown as the men’s favourite.
- Alcaraz is OUT with a wrist injury.
- Sabalenka goes in as the women’s No. 1 seed.
- Świątek returns as defending champ.
- Serena Williams is back.
1. Carlos Alcaraz
The two-time champ isn’t playing. Born in El Palmar in 2003 and raised worshipping Rafael Nadal, Alcaraz turned pro at 15 in 2018 under ex-world No. 1 Juan Carlos Ferrero.
Sky Sports rates him a generational talent, and the record backs it: seven majors on hard, clay and grass. He completed the full career Grand Slam set at the 2026 Australian Open, the youngest man to do so at the age of 22.
He won Wimbledon in 2023 and 2024, both times against Djokovic, and he calls SW19 his favourite. He is known for Nadal’s topspin, sneaky drop shots, cheetah speed, and feathery net hands. Then the wrist got injured. He skipped Madrid, Rome and the French Open too, saving himself for the US Open.
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2. Jannik Sinner
The world No. 1 and defending champ is everyone’s problem. Born 16 August 2001 up in German-speaking northern Italy, Jannik Sinner was a junior skier before ditching the slopes for tennis at 13.
Won the first ATP title of 2020, the Sofia Open, and became the youngest Italian champ of the Open Era. In 2024, he topped the rankings, mopped up the Career Golden Masters, and hauled Italy to Davis Cup glory twice.
His ATP Tour list has four majors: the 2024 and 2025 Australian Opens, the 2024 US Open, and Wimbledon 2025, where he downed Alcaraz to become the first Italian man to win it. He can play with both hands with full control.
He melted at the French Open, a collapse against Cerundolo snapping a 30-match streak. In London so far? Flying. Five sets past Miomir Kecmanović with a career-high 31 aces, then a straight-sets job on Nuno Borges for his 95th Slam win, as the BBC clocked it—Jenson Brooksby’s next.
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3. Novak Djokovic
24 Grand Slams, more than any man alive, and the only tennis player to win every major three times over. Born in Belgrade in 1987, he’s got 100-plus tour titles, the most weeks at No. 1 in history, and Paris Olympic gold for the Career Golden Slam.
According to ESPN, seven of the Slams are Wimbledons: 2011, 2014, 2015, 2018, 2019, 2021 and 2022. His record is 102-13. The ultimate counter-puncher: great at returning, elastic, and unflustered when it gets tight. He is seeded seventh and hunting an eighth title.
The Guardian watched him roll back the years and dismantle Stefanos Tsitsipas after brushing aside Wu Yibing; Arthur Rinderknech is next. He’s the last “Big Three” man still swinging.
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4. Coco Gauff
Remember 2019? A 15-year-old Cori “Coco” Gauff, born in Delray Beach, Florida, and with a racquet in hand since she was six, battered Venus Williams on these lawns as the youngest player ever to qualify for the main draw. The WTA still gushes.
She’s since bagged the 2023 US Open and 2025 French Open and reached the Paris final in 2022. Grass, though, is her riddle: the fourth round in 2019, 2021 and 2024.
With her thumping serve, greyhound speed and bulldog fight, she poses a threat to anyone. Seeded seventh, she’s brushed past Tamara Korpatsch, then survived a heart-in-mouth final-set tiebreak against Solana Sierra.
5. Aryna Sabalenka
She doesn’t hit the ball, she punishes it. Born in Minsk in 1998, Sabalenka stormed to No. 1 in 2023 and owns four majors: the 2023 and 2024 Australian Opens plus the 2024 and 2025 US Opens.
She’s a doubles danger too, nabbing the 2019 US Open and 2021 Australian Open with Elise Mertens. As per Yahoo, Wimbledon’s the one Slam she’s never finalled. She reached the semis in 2021, 2023, and 2025 but missed out in 2022 due to the ban on Belarusian players.
Covers still has her women’s favourite, though she has wobbled and been bagelled in deciders against Diana Shnaider and Jessica Pegula. As top seed, she steamrolled Teodora Kostovic and McCartney Kessler.
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6. Iga Świątek
Poland’s Iga Świątek is a six-time major queen and, as per the Olympics, a proper voice for mental health in sport. She went pro in 2018 after winning the Wimbledon girls’ title, then piled up four French Opens, the 2022 US Open and, last year, her first Wimbledon – the first Pole ever to win a major singles title.
She was No. 1 for 120-plus weeks and once had a 37-match streak. A Superprof preview backs her again, and no wonder: she’s already dug out an emotional three-setter over Taylor Townsend, then walloped Karolina Pliskova 6-1, 6-3. The bagels are back.
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7. Emma Raducanu
It is gutting for the home fans. Britain’s No. 1 pulled out on the eve of round one after a scan on 28 June revealed a stress fracture in her lower right leg—the latest chapter in a recurring saga since the clay swing.
Toronto-born, Bromley-raised and of Romanian-Chinese descent, Raducanu stunned the planet at the 2021 US Open, winning as a qualifier without dropping a single set – the first British woman to win a major since 1977.
She’d announced herself weeks earlier at Wimbledon, storming to the fourth round as a wildcard before retiring with breathing trouble. Fit, that flat, front-foot game is box office.
Sources & References
- ESPN – Novak Djokovic has won 7 Wimbledons, the second most in history.
- Superprof Blog – Iga Świątek won the nail-biting match against Taylor Townsend.
- LTA – For schedules and scores, you can check out the LTA official website.
- Yahoo – Aryna Sabalenka has never won Wimbledon.
