Both top-seeded players are facing significant questions as the tennis calendar unfolds to the 139th edition of the Wimbledon Championships on Monday in London.
For Belarussian Aryna Sabalenka, the issues are performance-related, while defending champion Jannik Sinner of Italy faces primarily health-related concerns.
Despite dominating at times over the past six months, both are searching for their first Grand Slam title of 2026.
Sabalenka only played one grass-court event, in Berlin two weeks ago, where Jessica Pegula bageled her in the third set semifinals. Sabalenka, however, shrugged it off on Saturday as she prepared for her first-round match versus Serbian qualifier Teodora Kostovic on Monday.
“I don’t want to stay too much in those sets, in those numbers,” Sabalenka said. “Overall I feel like things are clicking back together. Now I’m here, I’m happy and I can’t wait to start playing.”
Sabalenka could face Great Britain’s Emma Raducanu in the third round. The 30th-seeded former U.S. Open champion reached the finals at Queen’s Club earlier this month.
The greatest subplot on the women’s side is the return of seven-time Wimbledon champion Serena Williams to singles competition. Williams, 44, accepted a wild card invitation and will face 20-year-old Maya Joint of Australia in the opening round on Tuesday.
Williams’ last singles match occurred at the 2022 U.S. Open. She has played in two grass-court doubles matches in the lead-up to Wimbledon.
Second-seeded Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan and third-seeded and defending champion Iga Swiatek from Poland are flying under the radar after underwhelming grass-court results. Rybakina may have the easiest path to the quarters of the top four seeds, although a match-up with ninth-seeded and fast-rising Czech Linda Noskova potentially awaits.
Swiatek is faced with the task of trying to become the first woman since Serena one decade ago to lift the Venus Rosewater Dish in back-to-back years.
“I feel proud of what happened last year,” Swiatek said. “But … I feel like I’m starting from a totally different position and keeping my expectations low. It’s not going to be smooth because of last year. Even though I won, I still have stuff to figure out.”
After besting Sabalenka, Pegula, the No. 4 seed, fell to Noskova in the finals in Berlin.
Sinner has foregone the grass-court season, attempting to address his heat-related health issues. He lost in the second round in steamy Paris, succumbing in five sets to Juan Manuel Cerundolo after winning the first two sets.
“I feel good,” Sinner said. “I think grass is a very different surface, obviously. You come here trying to do your best. At the same time if you play a tournament before here, maybe it’s not going the way you would like to, you come here with some doubts. If you don’t play any tournament, you don’t have these doubts, you just go out and play.”
Sinner opens play against Serbia’s Miomir Kecmanovic on Monday.
Another better-known Serbian, Novak Djokovic is seeded seventh and is making his 11th attempt at securing his record-breaking 25th Grand Slam title.
Like Sinner, with whom he practiced at the All England Club this week, Djokovic has not competed since a third-round exit at Roland Garros. But if there is anyone that is confident on the surface in London, it is the seven-time champion.
“I think I’m better prepared here than I was for Roland Garros,” Djokovic, 39, said on Saturday. “I always loved playing on grass. I have a very good score here, history, in Wimbledon. That gives me a higher dose of confidence coming into the tournament.”
Second-seeded German Alexander Zverev, coming off his first major title at Roland Garros, faces an immediate test against the top-ranked Belgian Alexander Blockx, who is ranked No. 37.
American fans should be buoyed with the recent grass-court performances of No. 4 Ben Shelton and No. 17 Frances Tiafoe. Shelton triumphed at Stuttgart, while Tiafoe won his first ATP 500 event in Halle. In addition, No. 6 Taylor Fritz and No. 21 Tommy Paul have reached June title matches.
But Fritz faces a tough first-round match against London native and former World No. 4 Jack Draper, who is on the comeback trail after right knee and left arm injuries.
The entire men’s field will benefit from the absence of defending champion Carlos Alcaraz, who will miss his second consecutive slam due to a wrist injury.
–Field Level Media
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