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Jannik Sinner enters the semi-finals as defending champion and top seed, having dropped only one set in the tournament.

The bottom half of the men's draw features French Open champion Alexander Zverev and Taylor Fritz — the latter seeking to be the first American men's Grand Slam winner since 2003.

In the women's draw, No. 1 Sabalenka was shocked by Osaka in round four, leaving the women's title wide open heading into the semis.

Wimbledon 2026 runs 29 June – 12 July at the All England Club.

The absence of Alcaraz (wrist), Draper (arm) and the early exit of Sabalenka dramatically shifted the title odds mid-tournament.

Serena Williams, aged 44, accepted the final wildcard into the 2026 Wimbledon women's singles draw on 21 June.

Her first-round match against Australia's Maya Joint on 30 June marks her first singles outing at a major since the 2022 US Open.

Williams and her sister Venus also hold a doubles wildcard — their first pairing at the All England Club in a decade.

She prepared for the comeback via doubles appearances at Queen's Club and Berlin in early June.

At 44, she becomes the second-oldest woman to compete in Wimbledon singles in the Open Era, behind only Martina Navratilova.

Serena Williams, 44, played her first singles match in nearly four years, accepting a wildcard entry at Wimbledon 2026.

She lost to Australian Maya Joint, 20, by a score of 6-3, 6-7(8), 6-3 in a three-set contest on Centre Court.

Williams had warmed up by playing doubles at Queen's Club and the Berlin Open before entering the singles draw.

She is also competing in doubles alongside sister Venus Williams, who received a separate wildcard.

Williams said she accepted the wildcard because 'not every day Wimbledon holds a wildcard for someone.'

No. 4 seed Ben Shelton (world No. 5) was eliminated in the first round of Wimbledon by qualifier Otto Virtanen in five sets.

Virtanen entered as a +303 underdog and came through qualifying with three wins to earn his spot in the main draw.

Shelton had reached the quarterfinals at Wimbledon in 2025, raising expectations of an even deeper run in 2026.

Shelton won the second and third sets but melted down late, with the match decided in a final-set tiebreak.

The loss made Virtanen an early Cinderella story and left the American men's top seed out on day two.

41-year-old Stan Wawrinka played what is expected to be his final Wimbledon match, losing to Matteo Berrettini in four sets across roughly four hours.

Berrettini had entered as a lucky loser after Lorenzo Musetti's withdrawal from the main draw.

Wawrinka received a long standing ovation from the No. 1 Court crowd after the match ended.

The three-time Grand Slam champion has had a lengthy career resurgence in his 40s, but has been playing a reduced schedule.

The emotional farewell underlined a generational transition at the grass-court major, with multiple veterans departing in the same fortnight.

Alexander Zverev arrives at Wimbledon 2026 as the No. 2 seed and reigning French Open champion, having won his first Grand Slam title at Roland Garros.

It is Zverev's first Wimbledon appearance as a major champion, though he has historically struggled on grass to convert his clay-court dominance.

With Carlos Alcaraz absent, Zverev is seen as a primary challenger to world No. 1 Jannik Sinner for the title.

French Open runner-up Mirra Andreeva is competing on the WTA side having won her first major title at Roland Garros 2026.

The 2026 French Open result marked a significant shift in the Grand Slam landscape heading into the grass-court season.

British No. 1 Cameron Norrie lost an agonising five-set first-round match to American qualifier Michael Zheng, who came through qualifying the previous week.

Jack Draper withdrew on opening day with a recurrence of the left arm bone injury that ended his 2025 season, calling it 'definitely the absolute worst' painful moment of the past 12 months.

Emma Raducanu had already withdrawn on the eve of the tournament with a lower leg stress fracture, compounding Britain's misfortune.

Harriet Dart was promoted to Court 1 to fill Raducanu's spot but lost to Jelena Ostapenko 6-3, 3-6, 6-4.

Katie Swan became the first British player to win a singles match at Wimbledon 2026, defeating Irina-Camelia Begu, with Jacob Fearnley and Arthur Fery also advancing.

44-year-old Serena Williams lost 6-3, 6-7(6), 6-3 to world No. 87 Maya Joint on Centre Court — her first singles match since the 2022 US Open.

Williams won the second-set tiebreak and led 2-1 in the third before Joint won five of the last six games.

She sustained a right knee injury during the match, putting her planned doubles appearance with sister Venus in doubt.

Joint's victory snapped an 11-match losing streak on tour and was her first win of the grass-court season.

Serena's comeback fuelled record Wimbledon viewership for ESPN, and her former coach Mouratoglou said the performance showed 'only good news for the future'.

Serena Williams, 44, made her singles comeback on Centre Court on June 30, losing to Maya Joint 6-3, 6-7(6), 6-3.

It was her first singles match since her retirement at the 2022 US Open — a gap of nearly four years.

Williams received a singles and doubles wildcard from the All England Club for the tournament.

Her return drove record Wimbledon viewership for ESPN.

She also played doubles alongside sister Venus Williams; a knee injury during the singles match threatened their doubles campaign.

Filipino wildcard Alex Eala defeated defending champion Iga Swiatek in the second round before reaching the fourth round of Wimbledon.

Her run ended with a 4-6, 6-4, 3-6 loss to 13th-seeded Jasmine Paolini on Day 8, with Roger Federer watching from the stands.

Eala was the first Filipino player to reach the fourth round at Wimbledon, generating enormous national pride in the Philippines.

She had beaten Swiatek — a former Wimbledon champion — in straight sets in the second round, one of the biggest upsets of the tournament's first week.

Paolini advanced to the quarterfinals and will face Elise Mertens for a spot in the last four.