Five Wimbledon storylines: Serena Williams returns, Sinner and Djokovic restoring order and more

The 2026 Wimbledon men's and women's singles draws begin on Monday.

Before first serve, we take a look at five of the biggest storylines at this year's tournament.

Serena Williams returns

After nearly four years since her most recent singles tournament appearance at the 2022 U.S. Open, Williams, 44, makes her return to the All England Club on Tuesday, when she'll play Australian Maya Joint.

The 23-time major champion returned to the court earlier in June in doubles at the Queen's Club and most recently completed in the women's doubles draw at the Berlin Open, where she and partner Karolina Muchova lost in the first round.

Williams enters the singles draw with a 98-14 record at Wimbledon, winning seven titles — most recently in 2016. As ESPN noted in its preview of the all-time great's return, Williams faces a potentially daunting path, with world No. 32 Alexandra Eala and No. 3 Iga Swiatek looming as her most likely competition in Rounds 2 and 3.

Do Jannik Sinner, Novak Djokovic restore order to men's draw?

Upsets defined 2026 Roland-Garros, with seven of the top nine seeds on the men's draw exiting before the fourth round, including Sinner in the second and Djokovic a round later.

Sinner, the 2025 Wimbledon men's singles champ, is seeking a fifth grand slam — all in the last 11 majors — while Djokovic is aiming for his first grand slam title since the 2023 U.S. Open. The two are both in the top half of the bracket, setting them up for a potential sixth grand slam semifinal match. Djokovic won the most recent encounter at the 2026 Australian Open, snapping a streak of three consecutive Sinner wins (2025 Wimbledon, 2025 Roland Garros, 2024 Australian Open). Djokovic claimed the first in straight sets at 2023 Wimbledon.

With Carlos Alcaraz (wrist) out, the two stars are the only previous Wimbledon champs in the field on the men's side. Both will try to keep the exclusive club restricted.

Can Iga Swiatek become first repeat champ in 10 years?

Last year, Swiatek had one of the most dominant wins in a Wimbledon finals ever, defeating Amanda Anisimova, 6-0, 6-0, for the first double-bagel at a Wimbledon championship since 1911. The six-time major champ looks to follow that historic performance by becoming the first back-to-back winner in the women's draw since Serena (2015-16). 

Her path has several potential pitfalls, however, including Williams in the third round. No. 13 Jasmine Paolini (Round 3) and No. 8 Elina Svitolina (Round 4) loom as potential threats before the quarters, making a repeat far from certain.

Americans looking to continue promising grass court runs

No. 6 seed Taylor Fritz had a promising run in two grass court tune-ups to Wimbledon, reaching the finals at the Boss Open and Terra Wortmann Open. In both instances, he fell to Americans Ben Shelton and Frances Tiafoe, respectively, giving all three positive momentum heading into Wimbledon.

With No. 2 seed Alexander Zverev, who is coming off his first gland slam title at 2026 Roland Garros, never advancing past the fourth round at the All England Club, Fritz and Tiafoe could have an opportunity to take command of the bottom half of the draw. Shelton's draw in the top half appears more daunting, but as ESPN's Bill Connelly wrote, his steady progression over the years at the year's third major suggests "A huge Wimbledon run feels like a logical next step in [his] development."

Young stars ready to make their marks

Mirra Andreeva, 19, is one of several teens in the women's singles main draw. The 2026 Roland Garros winner and world top-10 Victoria Mboko (No. 10) are the brightest young stars looking to leave their mark at Wimbledon, but they're far from alone.

No. 16 seed Iva Jovic, 18, is the fourth-highest ranked American in the WTA rankings and looking for her first win in the main draw at Wimbledon. Lilli Tagger, 18, and Tereza Valentova, 19, are in the Round of 128 for the first time, while Mimi Xu, 18, is in as a wildcard one year after becoming the first Welsh-born player in the main draw in 20 years.