LONDON, June 26 (Reuters) – The Wimbledon tennis tournament runs from June 29 to July 12 at the All England Club. Here are some major talking points:
COMEBACK QUEEN SERENA ADDS INTRIGUE
Serena Williams returns after a four-year break. The 23-times Grand Slam champion is immediately the talk of Wimbledon after being handed a wildcard entry into the singles and doubles draws.
The 44-year-old tuned up for the grasscourt major by playing doubles, partnering Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko at Queen’s Club before teaming up with Karolina Muchova in Berlin. At Wimbledon she is set to reunite with sister Venus.
Yet it is her singles campaign that will draw the sharpest spotlight. Williams steps back into a tour reshaped in her absence, led by world number one Aryna Sabalenka and defending champion Iga Swiatek, with Elena Rybakina and Coco Gauff also firmly established among the game’s dominant forces.
While her return adds a compelling storyline to the draw, questions linger over her prospects. A prolonged spell away from competition has raised doubts around her fitness, sharpness and endurance, yet all eyes will be on how deep she can go.
DJOKOVIC’S BEST CHANCE FOR 25TH MAJOR
Time may be running out for Novak Djokovic, but he arrives with a clear opportunity to claim a standalone 25th Grand Slam title. The grasscourt remains his most favourable stage, amplifying his strengths and placing fewer demands on his 39-year-old body.
The draw has tilted in his favour, too. With Carlos Alcaraz sidelined through injury and Jannik Sinner coming off a taxing clay swing and an early French Open exit amid concerns over his physical condition, Djokovic has a real opening.
The Serb showed flashes of his enduring quality earlier this season, reaching the Australian Open final and beating Sinner along the way.
Though his clay campaign was disrupted by injury and he lost early on at Roland Garros, Djokovic remains well-placed for another deep run at a venue where he has lifted the trophy seven times.
ALCARAZ’S ABSENCE IMPACTS DRAW
Alcaraz’s wrist injury reshapes the Wimbledon landscape this year, making Sinner the clear favourite despite an underwhelming French Open campaign after an otherwise dominant claycourt season.
The absence of Alcaraz also denies fans the prospect of another “Sincaraz” final, potentially paving the way for the first new name in the men’s final since Djokovic beat Nick Kyrgios in 2022.
Alexander Zverev will be keen to double his major tally after a long-awaited title at the French Open, while several others will aim to capitalise on a more open field to produce a surprise title run.
SWIATEK’S TITLE DEFENCE STILL ON UNEASY GROUND
Swiatek’s grip on her Wimbledon crown looks far from secure, with patchy form replacing the dominance she showed during last year’s title run, when she swept aside Amanda Anisimova 6-0 6-0 in the final.
Her results since then have been uneven. The Pole exited in the quarter-finals at the Australian Open, Qatar and Indian Wells, before a shock second-round defeat to compatriot Magda Linette in Miami was followed by her replacing coach Wim Fissette with Francisco Roig.
The biggest jolt came in Paris, where the four-time Roland Garros champion crashed out in the fourth round to Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk, and said afterwards that tension had simply got the better of her.
Heading into the grasscourt season, Swiatek faces stiff competition. Sabalenka is chasing her first major of the year, French Open winner Mirra Andreeva continues her rapid rise, while Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula add further depth.
RECORD PRIZE POT AND PAY DEBATE
A record £64.2 million ($84.7 million) prize pot – up 20% from last year – is among the headlines at Wimbledon, with singles champions set to earn £3.6 million in what will be the biggest year-on-year increase in the tournament’s history.
Players have been arguing that Grand Slams return a smaller share of revenue than ATP and WTA events, and several of them reduced their media duties at the French Open and threatened future boycotts.
The bump-up may not satisfy them all, however, as leading players have pushed for a prize pool closer to £70 million to move towards the roughly 22% revenue share seen on tour, compared with an estimated 15% currently distributed at the majors.
The debate over pay, it seems, is unlikely to fade even as the numbers rise.
($1 = 0.7580 pounds)
(Reporting by Karan Prashant Saxena in Bengaluru; Editing by Hugh Lawson)
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