Just a few weeks after a chaotic French Open, the world's best tennis players return to the major stage at Wimbledon.
It's hard to imagine Jannik Sinner suffering another early Grand Slam exit or a qualifier making a Cinderella run to the final, but this is why we play the matches.
Here are five storylines to watch when the opening round begins Monday at the All England Club.
Serena's back
Serena Williams never used the word "retire" when she announced she was "evolving away" from tennis in a Vogue magazine article in August 2022. Williams' phrasing always left the door open for her potential return, a prospect realized two weeks ago at Queen's Club in London as she teamed up with Victoria Mboko in doubles. Now, the American icon will take the court in singles and doubles play at Wimbledon after receiving a wild card for both competitions.
Nobody knows what to expect from Williams or how long this comeback will last, but the competitive fire is clearly still burning within the 23-time major singles champion. While the 44-year-old showed some expected rust in the two doubles matches she split in the lead-up to Wimbledon, Williams also reacted quickly at the net and displayed the raw power that once lifted her to the top. Her serve in her first match back reached 120 mph, and that'll keep her competitive as she tries to sharpen the other elements of her game.
No high seed wants any part of Williams in the early rounds. She's captured the Venus Rosewater Dish on seven occasions, trailing only Martina Navratilova in the Open era. The same thing can be said about the doubles competition, where Williams is partnering with her older sister Venus to pursue a seventh tournament crown.
Djokovic's best shot for No. 25?
Stuck on 24 majors since defeating Daniil Medvedev in the 2023 US Open final, Novak Djokovic is just ahead of Williams on the all-time Grand Slam leaderboard. Though the Serbian legend has produced a handful of deep runs since his last triumph - including a pair of finals appearances - he hasn't managed to finish the job.
The 2026 Wimbledon Championships might be Djokovic's best shot at getting that elusive 25th Grand Slam trophy. The 39-year-old won't have to worry about Carlos Alcaraz, who's sidelined for a second straight major with a wrist injury. He's also got a strong track record at the All England Club, posting a 102-13 career record and trailing only Roger Federer's mark of eight singles titles. Additionally, Djokovic has made the semifinals or better in each of his last seven appearances, with his only defeats during that span coming against Sinner and Alcaraz.
While having a booming serve is certainly an advantage on grass, it's Djokovic's superb court movement that's made him one of the best players ever on the surface. However, his conditioning remains a question mark, as he didn't play in any Wimbledon tuneup events. Still, Djokovic took the same approach into this year's Australian Open and reached the final.
Sinner seeks redemption
Sinner's stunning second-round collapse to Juan Manuel Cerundolo at the French Open was his earliest Grand Slam elimination since falling at the same stage in Paris three years ago. The Italian has physically struggled in the past in high temperatures and humidity, and those issues resurfaced at Roland Garros as the heat got the better of Sinner, leaving the four-time major champ just one game away from victory.
Sinner knows he'll need to be prepared for those elements at Wimbledon and any other tournament going forward. He's undergone testing and is practicing in warmer conditions to hopefully prevent history from repeating itself.
"In future, we will always try to practice where the warmer conditions could be, because I feel like every tournament is getting warmer and warmer every year, so it's going to be important," Sinner told reporters at a recent exhibition event in London, including The Athletic's Charlie Eccleshare.
The additional rest Sinner received from his early French Open exit should serve him well, too. The World No. 1 didn't have much of a breather between March and May, as he captured five straight Masters 1000 crowns. When Sinner takes the court at Wimbledon for his opening-round matchup, it'll have been over a month since he last played.
Look out for Eala
Serena didn't get any favors in the draw, as she'll likely play rising star Alexandra Eala in the second round. The 21-year-old had a breakthrough performance at last year's Miami Open, defeating Jelena Ostapenko, Madison Keys, and Iga Swiatek en route to her first WTA 1000 semifinal. She's continued to rise in the rankings since then and is the first Filipino-born player to be seeded at a Grand Slam.
Eala has proven to be a quality grass-court player during her brief time on the WTA Tour, reaching the finals at last year's Eastbourne Open and hoisting her second career title earlier in June at the Birmingham Open. She followed that up with a semifinal showing at the Berlin Open, taking down an in-form Donna Vekic, 2022 Wimbledon champ Elena Rybakina, and four-time major semifinalist Elina Svitolina. The lefty is just 1-5 in main-draw play at Grand Slams, but perhaps this is the tournament she finally makes some noise.
Quarter of death
Several players could emerge from the fourth quarter of the men's draw. Newly minted major winner Alexander Zverev was bounced in the opening round of Wimbledon a year ago and will immediately be challenged by World No. 37 Alexander Blockx this time around. Taylor Fritz, the 2025 Wimbledon semifinalist, faces hometown favorite Jack Draper in his opener. Draper, known for his big serves, leads the head-to-head matchup 3-2 but has missed most of the campaign due to various injuries.
If Fritz manages to get by Draper, he's got plenty more roadblocks before a possible quarterfinal showdown with Zverev. His potential third-round opponent, Gabriel Diallo, is another thunderous server and took Fritz to five sets at Wimbledon last year. Frances Tiafoe and Alexander Bublik probably await in the Round of 16. Tiafoe recently topped Fritz in the Halle Open final, while Bublik has a pair of grass-court titles on his resume.
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