LONDON — The Wimbledon tennis tournament is set to kick off June 29 and run through July 12 at the All England Club. With a dramatic comeback, an injury-altered draw, and a record-breaking prize fund, here are the five biggest storylines to watch.
SERENA WILLIAMS MAKES HER RETURN
After four years away from professional tennis, Serena Williams is back — and she’s already the biggest topic at Wimbledon. The 23-time Grand Slam champion received a wildcard entry into both the singles and doubles draws, instantly generating buzz around the tournament.
The 44-year-old used doubles play to shake off the rust ahead of the grass-court major, first pairing with Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko at Queen’s Club, then teaming with Karolina Muchova in Berlin. At Wimbledon, she is expected to partner with her sister Venus in doubles.
Her singles run, however, will attract the most attention. Williams is stepping back into a tour that has been completely reshaped during her absence, now headlined by world number one Aryna Sabalenka, defending champion Iga Swiatek, and other established stars like Elena Rybakina and Coco Gauff. Questions remain about her fitness, sharpness, and stamina after such a lengthy layoff, but all eyes will be watching how far she can advance.
DJOKOVIC EYES HISTORIC 25TH MAJOR TITLE
Novak Djokovic arrives at Wimbledon with perhaps his clearest shot in recent memory at winning a record-setting 25th Grand Slam title. At 39 years old, the grass courts at the All England Club remain his most favorable surface, placing fewer physical demands on his body while highlighting his greatest strengths.
The draw has also broken in his direction. Carlos Alcaraz is out with a wrist injury, and Jannik Sinner heads into the tournament dealing with physical concerns after a grueling clay season and an early exit at the French Open. Djokovic showed he still has plenty left in the tank earlier this year, reaching the Australian Open final and defeating Sinner along the way.
Although a knee injury disrupted his clay swing and he bowed out early at Roland Garros, Djokovic remains a serious contender at a venue where he has claimed the title seven times.
ALCARAZ’S ABSENCE OPENS THE DOOR
The wrist injury that sidelined Alcaraz significantly changes the landscape of the men’s draw. Sinner now enters as the clear favorite, even after a disappointing French Open performance that followed an otherwise dominant clay season.
Alcaraz’s absence also eliminates any chance of another “Sincaraz” final — a rematch that fans had been anticipating. It potentially opens the door for the first new men’s finalist since Djokovic defeated Nick Kyrgios in 2022.
Alexander Zverev will be eager to add to his major tally after finally breaking through with a long-awaited title at the French Open, while several other players will look to take advantage of the more open field and make a surprise run at the title.
SWIATEK’S TITLE DEFENSE ON SHAKY GROUND
Defending champion Iga Swiatek heads into Wimbledon with her title defense looking anything but certain. Her form has been inconsistent since her dominant run last year, when she crushed Amanda Anisimova 6-0, 6-0 in the final.
Since that victory, Swiatek has struggled. She was eliminated in the quarterfinals at the Australian Open, in Qatar, and at Indian Wells. A shocking second-round loss to fellow Polish player Magda Linette in Miami followed, after which she parted ways with coach Wim Fissette and brought in Francisco Roig.
The most alarming result came in Paris, where the four-time Roland Garros champion was knocked out in the fourth round by Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk. Swiatek later acknowledged that nerves and tension had simply gotten the better of her.
Now on grass, she faces a loaded field. Sabalenka is still hunting her first major of the year, French Open winner Mirra Andreeva continues to climb the rankings rapidly, and both Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula add further competition at the top of the draw.
RECORD PRIZE MONEY — BUT PLAYERS WANT MORE
Wimbledon has announced a record prize fund of £64.2 million — roughly $84.7 million — representing a 20% increase over last year. Singles champions will each take home £3.6 million, marking the largest year-on-year prize increase in the tournament’s history.
Despite the bump, the debate over player pay is far from settled. Players have argued that Grand Slams distribute a smaller share of their revenue compared to ATP and WTA events. Several top players scaled back their media commitments at the French Open and threatened future boycotts to draw attention to the issue.
Leading players have pushed for a prize pool closer to £70 million, which would bring the majors closer to the roughly 22% revenue share seen on tour. Currently, the majors are estimated to return only about 15% of their revenue to players. Even with record numbers on the table, it appears the conversation over fair pay in tennis is far from over.
