- Djokovic Continues Historic Pursuit of Record 25th Grand Slam
LONDON: The Wimbledon Championships get underway on Monday, with defending men’s champion Jannik Sinner aiming to secure his fifth Grand Slam title, while women’s world number one Aryna Sabalenka begins her quest for a first major triumph of the season.
With two-time Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz absent from the tournament, Sinner enters as the overwhelming favorite, although the Italian faces questions over his preparation after opting to skip all grass-court warm-up events.
Sinner Confident Despite Limited Grass-Court Preparation
The 24-year-old arrives at the All England Club following a painful French Open exit, where he squandered a winning position in the second round after struggling physically in extreme heat.
However, Sinner believes avoiding pre-Wimbledon tournaments could prove advantageous as he prepares to open his title defense against Serbia’s Miomir Kecmanovic on Centre Court.
“If you play a tournament before here, maybe it’s not going the way you would like to, and you come here with some doubts,” Sinner told reporters on Saturday.
“If you don’t play any tournament, you don’t have these doubts—you just go and play.”
Sabalenka Chasing First Wimbledon and First Major of 2026
World number one Aryna Sabalenka has maintained her dominance atop the WTA rankings since late 2024, but the Belarusian has captured only one Grand Slam title over the past 18 months despite reaching four finals.
Her most recent disappointment came at the French Open, where she suffered a dramatic collapse against Diana Shnaider, losing the final 10 games consecutively in their quarter-final encounter.
Sabalenka admitted afterward that she briefly felt like quitting the sport, but said working with a psychologist has helped her regain confidence and perspective.
The 27-year-old also insisted that her semifinal loss to Jessica Pegula at the Berlin Open has not affected her preparations for Wimbledon.
“I felt really good throughout the tournament there,” Sabalenka said ahead of her first-round meeting with Serbian teenager Teodora Kostovic.
“I struggled a little bit here and there, but overall I feel like things are clicking back together.”
Despite winning four Grand Slam titles, Sabalenka has yet to lift the Wimbledon trophy, although she has reached the semifinals in each of her last three appearances.
Djokovic Pursues Tennis Immortality at All England Club
Novak Djokovic returns to Wimbledon seeking a historic 25th Grand Slam title, which would move him ahead of Margaret Court for the most major singles championships in tennis history.
The Serbian great has enjoyed remarkable success on grass, winning seven Wimbledon crowns and reaching two finals and a semifinal since his last triumph in 2022.
The 39-year-old believes the surface gives him a better opportunity to compete at his highest level compared to clay courts.
“Playing on grass, compared to clay, you don’t need to exert as much physical effort, so that’s better for me,” Djokovic said.
“I’ve always loved playing on grass. I have a very good history at Wimbledon, and that gives me a higher dose of confidence coming into the tournament.”
Djokovic will begin his campaign against China’s Wu Yibing on Centre Court.
Monday’s Key First-Round Matches
Centre Court (Starting at 12:30 GMT)
- Jannik Sinner (Italy) vs Miomir Kecmanovic (Serbia)
- Aryna Sabalenka (Belarus) vs Teodora Kostovic (Serbia)
- Wu Yibing (China) vs Novak Djokovic (Serbia)
Court No. 1 (Starting at 12:00 GMT)
- Antonia Ruzic (Croatia) vs Emma Raducanu (Britain)
- Marin Cilic (Croatia) vs Daniil Medvedev (Russia)
- Magda Linette (Poland) vs Mirra Andreeva (Russia)
Court No. 2 (Starting at 10:00 GMT)
- Jessica Pegula (United States) vs Darja Vidmanova (Czech Republic)
- Michael Zheng (United States) vs Cameron Norrie (Britain)
- Felix Auger-Aliassime (Canada) vs Aleksandr Shevchenko (Kazakhstan)
- Tamara Korpatsch (Germany) vs Coco Gauff (United States)
BY: The Times Union
