The draw for Wimbledon 2026, conducted on Friday in London, set defending champion Jannik Sinner on a collision course with seven-time winner Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals, while Serena Williams was handed a first-round meeting with Australian Maya Joint in her return to singles competition after nearly four years. Sinner, the world number one, opens against Serbia’s Miomir Kecmanović and could face former US Open champion Daniil Medvedev in the quarter-finals. Djokovic, seeded seventh, begins against China’s Wu Yibing and may encounter Brazil’s João Fonseca in the fourth round—a rematch of the Brazilian’s five-set victory at Roland Garros. The absence of Carlos Alcaraz, the two-time Wimbledon champion sidelined by a wrist injury, leaves second seed Alexander Zverev, the newly crowned French Open winner, as the main threat in the bottom half of the draw.

Serena Williams, 44, enters the singles draw as a wildcard, her first Grand Slam singles match since a third-round loss to Ajla Tomljanović at the 2022 US Open. She will face Joint, a 20-year-old Australian ranked 53rd, on Tuesday. Joint, who has lost 13 of her last 14 matches, told Australian media she received a pep talk from Tomljanović and believes she can win. Williams is also competing in doubles with her sister Venus; their opening opponents are Colombia’s Camila Osorio and Argentina’s Solana Sierra. German former Wimbledon champion Michael Stich publicly questioned the wisdom of Williams’s return, arguing it diverts attention from other players and that she has no chance of winning the title. American observers, including former world number one Caroline Wozniacki, were more supportive, praising Williams’s fitness and competitive drive.

Elsewhere in the men’s field, Australian fifth seed Alex de Minaur drew Roman Andres Burruchaga, the son of Argentine football World Cup winner Jorge Burruchaga. Italy’s Matteo Berrettini faces 41-year-old Stan Wawrinka in the Swiss veteran’s final Wimbledon appearance. Russian number one Daniil Medvedev meets Marin Čilić, while compatriot Andrey Rublev takes on Roman Safiullin. In the women’s draw, top seed Aryna Sabalenka opens against Teodora Kostović, and defending champion Iga Świątek begins against Taylor Townsend. Świątek could meet Williams in the third round, a prospect that has already generated intense interest.

The tournament begins on Monday amid a heatwave in western Europe, with Sinner having played no competitive grass-court matches since his shock second-round exit in Paris. He and Djokovic shared a practice session on Centre Court, where a moment of levity—Sinner’s improvised winner drawing applause from the Serb—was captured by Italian media. Off the court, a group of leading players is preparing to escalate a protest over prize money, which they say amounts to less than 22% of tournament revenue. Meanwhile, American tennis legend Chris Evert announced she is battling ovarian cancer for a third time and will miss her broadcasting duties at the All England Club.

Play begins on Monday, with Williams’s Centre Court return scheduled for Tuesday. The first week will test whether the 44-year-old can still compete at the highest level, while Sinner and Djokovic begin their campaigns with the prospect of a 12th career meeting looming in the second week.