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Tennis News

The stories that matter

A running digest of the significant happenings across the ATP, WTA, the four Grand Slams and the Finals — results, rule changes, retirements and off-court news. Every item links to the original article it was drawn from.

308 stories · page 26 of 31 · refreshed 4 Sep 2026

  1. Off CourtWTAWTA Finals1 Jul 2026

    WTA Finals Exits Saudi Arabia, Moves to Indian Wells for November 2026

    • The WTA announced on July 1 that the 2026 WTA Finals will move from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia to the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in California.
    • The Saudi Tennis Federation and WTA mutually ended their three-year hosting deal one year early, with growing Middle East military conflicts reportedly influencing the decision.
    • The event will be held November 8–15 at Stadium 1, the second-largest outdoor tennis stadium in the world with a capacity of over 16,000.
    • It will be the first time Indian Wells has hosted the WTA season-ending championship since 2005, and the sixth different venue in eight years.
    • No long-term host city has been announced beyond 2026; the stop is widely reported as a one-year stopgap while the tour seeks a new deal.
    ESPN
  2. Grand SlamATPWimbledon1 Jul 2026

    Sinner Defends Title Bid Continues; Ben Shelton Dumped Out in Round One

    • Defending champion and world No. 1 Jannik Sinner survived a five-set opening scare against Kecmanovic before beating Nuno Borges 7-6(4), 7-6(2), 6-4 to reach the last 32, extending his winning run at Wimbledon to nine matches.
    • Fourth seed Ben Shelton, who won the Stuttgart title heading into the grass-slam, was stunned in the first round by Finnish qualifier Otto Virtanen in the biggest upset of the early draw.
    • Carlos Alcaraz, two-time Wimbledon champion, was absent from the draw due to a wrist injury, significantly opening up the title race.
    • Novak Djokovic, seeded 7th and chasing a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam title, beat Stefanos Tsitsipas to advance smoothly to round three.
    • Djokovic would also equal Roger Federer's record of eight Wimbledon men's singles titles if he were to win the championship.
    Tennis Majors
  3. PlayersWTAWimbledon1 Jul 2026

    Serena Williams Loses Wimbledon First-Round Return to Maya Joint

    • Serena Williams lost her first singles match in nearly four years, falling to 20-year-old Maya Joint 6-3, 6-7(6), 6-3 on Centre Court.
    • It was Williams' first Grand Slam singles match since the 2022 US Open, marking a highly anticipated comeback at age 44.
    • Joint, an American-born Australian, went on to lose in the second round to No. 29 seed Alexandra Eala.
    • Williams battled for two hours and 22 minutes under the Centre Court roof, showing competitive fire but struggling with consistency.
    • The match delivered ESPN's largest Day 2 Wimbledon ratings ever, peaking at 2.1 million viewers in the US.
    ESPN
  4. PlayersATPWimbledon1 Jul 2026

    Alcaraz and Draper both absent from Wimbledon as injury crisis grips men's tour

    • Carlos Alcaraz, two-time Wimbledon champion and world No. 2, withdrew from the entire grass-court swing due to a right wrist stress injury sustained at the Barcelona Open in April.
    • He had already missed the French Open with the same injury, and was unable to defend his titles at Queen's and Wimbledon.
    • Jack Draper also withdrew from Wimbledon with a recurrence of his arm injury, having played only 15 matches since last year's Wimbledon.
    • In total, 18 players — 10 men and 8 women — withdrew from the 2026 Wimbledon main draws.
    • Draper publicly warned tennis's governing bodies the injury crisis was 'pretty worrying' and called for a close look at the tour schedule.
    ATP Tour
  5. Grand SlamWimbledon1 Jul 2026

    Wimbledon 2026 quarter-final line-up set: Sinner defends title amid wide-open draw

    • 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.
    Olympics.com
  6. PlayersWTAWimbledon30 Jun 2026

    Serena Williams Returns to Grand Slam Singles at Wimbledon with Wildcard

    • 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.
    Wimbledon Official
  7. PlayersWTAWimbledon30 Jun 2026

    Serena Williams Returns to Singles at Wimbledon, Falls to Maya Joint in Three Sets

    • 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.'
    Olympics.com
  8. Grand SlamATPWimbledon30 Jun 2026

    Ben Shelton Upset by Qualifier Otto Virtanen in Wimbledon First Round

    • 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.
    CBS Sports
  9. PlayersATPWimbledon30 Jun 2026

    Stan Wawrinka Bids Farewell to Wimbledon After Four-Set Loss to Matteo Berrettini

    • 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.
    ATP Tour
  10. Grand SlamATPWimbledon30 Jun 2026

    Alexander Zverev Enters Wimbledon as Reigning French Open Champion

    • 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.
    Sky Sports
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