Wimbledon is here! Serena's back, Djokovic threat and the 20 Brits as we cover it all

It's that time of year again! Wimbledon is back for the 2026 edition, and as the No.1 tabloid for this tournament, Express Sport will be on hand to provide you wall-to-wall coverage every single day. Our team will be on the grounds of the All England Club for all 14 days of tennis' most iconic Grand Slam. So what do you have to look forward to?

Serena and Sinner return, plus Jack is back!

Perhaps the most exciting talking point is the return of American legend Serena Williams after almost four years away from tennis. Her first match since the 2022 US Open sees her take on Maya Joint on Tuesday. Nobody knows how the 23-time Grand Slam champion will fare back in singles competition, despite having played doubles at Queen's and Berlin in the build-up.

Serena is now 44 years old and will become the second-oldest woman ever to play in the singles draw at Wimbledon. Only Martina Navratilova, at 47 in 2004, was older. As a seven-time winner at SW19, just how deep into this tournament can she go? The wildcard could face defending champion and third seed Iga Swiatek in round three. Get your strawberries and cream at the ready if that comes to fruition! We'll be covering every moment of Serena's run.

Also back are Jannik Sinner and Jack Draper - though they weren't absent for quite as long as Serena! Sinner hasn't played since losing in the second round of the French Open when he struggled physically in the brutal Paris heat. The Italian, the defending men's champion, is looking to profit from Carlos Alcaraz's absence and become a back-to-back winner. His title bid begins today against Serbia's Miomir Kecmanovic but given his track record of struggling when the sun is searing, he'll be hoping next week's weather forecast is inaccurate.

Draper, meanwhile, has only played one event since retiring in Barcelona in April. He reached the semi-finals at Eastbourne last week and the unseeded Brit, previously ranked fourth in the world, has been handed an enthralling first-round match against world No.7 Taylor Fritz, who is strong on this surface. Draper has won both of their last two meetings, though. As one of Britain's best chances of Wimbledon success, Express Sport will cover every second of that one tomorrow.

Alcaraz absent in the men's draw

As we mentioned, one of the main things to talk about in the men's draw is that Alcaraz, the man who has played in all of the last three finals and won two of them, sadly isn't playing. A right-wrist injury has ruled the Spaniard out and he hasn't been on court since April 14 in Barcelona.

Without him, Sinner is the man backed to rule supreme. But don't rule out the threat of Novak Djokovic as his bid to lift a record-breaking 25th major trophy continues. Only Roger Federer has won Wimbledon more times than the Serb, now 39. And he's clearly a confident man here. "I have a very good history in Wimbledon," Djokovic said at the weekend. "That gives me a higher dose of confidence coming into the tournament."

But who else do you need to look out for? Fritz can be a threat if he avoids an upset against Draper, while Alexander Zverev is riding high after ending his long wait for Slam glory at Roland Garros. His record at the All England Club isn't great, though, having never got past round four. Ben Shelton and Jakub Mensik are others with a healthy chance.

The unpredictable women's draw

In the women's draw, we've had a unique champion in all of the last eight tournaments since Serena Williams went back-to-back in 2015 and 2016. Who could extend that streak as a first-time champion? Well Coco Gauff would love to but this is statistically her worst Slam, with a 7-3 win-loss record, and she's never got past the quarter-finals.

Last year's runner-up, Amanda Anisimova, is another hoping to dethrone Iga Swiatek. One woman who has won four Slams but never even contested a final at Wimbledon is world No.1 Aryna Sabalenka. Three times she has lost in the semi-finals and the Belarusian will be desperate to get past the final four this year.

Mirra Andreeva, 19, won her first Slam at the French Open earlier this month but her best showing was only the third round. Jessica Pegula is another threat on the grass.

The Brits in action

In total, 20 British players will compete in the men's and women's draws. But only one of them is seeded. In the women's, Emma Raducanu was supposed to be the 30th seed but withdrew due to injury when she was due to face Antonia Ruzic. She is the only Brit - male or female - currently playing who has won a Slam previously and will be missed.

Katie Boulter is another flying the flag and is looking to surpass round three for the first time. The unseeded Sonay Kartal secured some big wins en route to round four last year, including former French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko, but misses out this year due to injury. Her fellow Brit Harriet Dart takes on Ostapenko in round one.

Draper can be a serious player in the men's draw if he gets past the challenge of Fritz, and if he can stay injury free. The only men's seed is Cam Norrie who faces American qualifier Michael Zheng and would love to repeat his 2022 run when he reached the semi-finals.

What to expect from your Express

We'll have reporters on the ground for every minute of the action throughout the two-week tournament. Crucial to our coverage will be our daily live blog, which will bring you all the big stories as they happen.

But it's not only the blog. We'll have tonnes of stories, including exclusive interviews with players and staff, across the fortnight.

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