Wimbledon: Jannik Sinner begins title defence, Aryna Sabalenka seeks first major of 2026
Italian is clear favourite in Carlos Alcaraz’s absence but may be underprepared, while Belarusian says ‘things are clicking back’ again
Wimbledon begins on Monday, with defending champion Jannik Sinner chasing a fifth grand slam title and women’s top seed Aryna Sabalenka chasing her first major of the year.
Top men’s match: Sinner v Miomir Kecmanovic
In the absence of rival and two-time Wimbledon winner Carlos Alcaraz, Sinner is the clear favourite this year, but the Italian may have to contend with the hot weather and his own lack of preparation as he seeks to defend his title.
After his second-round defeat at the French Open from a near-winning position when he cramped up in sizzling conditions, the 24-year-old skipped the warm-up tournaments ahead of the grass-court slam.
He said this could work to his benefit, however, ahead of his opening clash with Serbian Miomir Kecmanovic on Monday.
“If you play a tournament before here, maybe it’s not going the way you would like to, you come here with some doubts,” he told reporters on Saturday.
“If you don’t play any tournament, you don’t have these doubts, you just go and play.”
