Wimbledon begins on Monday night (AEST) with the revered championship receiving a burst of publicity when it was revealed Serena Williams would accept a wildcard into the tournament in her comeback to tennis.
She will play Maya Joint — who is among the 13 Aussies headed by Alex de Minaur in action at the All England Club this fortnight — on Tuesday on Centre Court.
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Defending champion Jannik Sinner kicks off proceedings on Centre Court on Monday against Miomir Kecmanovic in his first match since a stunning meltdown in sizzling conditions at Roland Garros five weeks ago.
With four Aussies in action on Monday, foxsports.com.au looks at the Burning Questions ahead of the grass court major.
Can Maya Joint down a giant of the sport?
Taking down a legend on Centre Court at Wimbledon?
That is the task facing young Aussie Maya Joint on Tuesday when she tackles Serena Williams, with the assumption the All England Club will feature the 23-time major winner on the premier court in the world.
And as Joint prepares for what shapes as the most-watched match for this year given the 23-time major champion is playing her first singles match in four years, she would do well to take note of a lesson from the Aussie great.
It is 12 years since Ash Barty stepped out against the American legend on Rod Laver Arena at Melbourne Park feeling beaten before their Australian Open match had begun.
Williams, who will play her first singles match since losing to Aussie Ajla Tomljanovic in the 3rd Rd of the US Open in 2022, fixed her eyes on the shy teenager from Ipswich before the match had started.
The seven-time Wimbledon champion bounced about on her feet while swinging her arm in a serving motion as the pair waited for the coin toss, her eyes never leaving Barty.
It rattled the awestruck Queenslander who, while a junior major champion and regular fixture in grand slam doubles finals, was yet to mature into the elite singles star she would become.
Her goal for that match had been to last an hour. Barty fell four minutes shy and left the court far from satisfied.
A lesson had been learnt. Never again would she allow herself to be beaten before stepping on to the court, no matter who was standing on the other side of the court.
LONDON, ENGLAND – JUNE 27: Serena Williams of United States speaks with coach Rennae Stubbs during a training session before The Championships Wimbledon 2026 at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on June 27, 2026 in London, England (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
Joint will do well to pay heed to that when she plays Williams, who is working with former Aussie doubles champion Rennae Stubbs, at Wimbledon on Tuesday and stated that was her goal when she spoke on Friday.
“I think any match is winnable. Serena is still an amazing player, so it’s going to be a difficult match, but I also think I have a chance to win,” the Aussie said.
“I never thought I’d get the opportunity to play against her, because she had stopped playing when I first got on tour, so when I saw that she got a wildcard to get back into singles, there was always a part of me that wanted to experience playing against her. It’s not something that a lot of people have been able to say they’ve done.”
Much, of course, has changed since that clash between the icon and a promising Aussie 12 years ago. Barty became the No.1 and won three grand slams including the Wimbledon 2021 championship before retiring.
Williams won another six singles majors including four in succession from late in 2014, had daughter Alexia Olympia before returning to reach four more finals before retiring after the US Open in 2022. She celebrated the arrival of Adira in 2023 and, after months of speculation, returned to the court in doubles in June ahead of her Wimbledon return.
Williams had already claimed seven grand slams titles by the time Joint, 20, was born.
The right-hander, whose dad Michael is a former squash professional from Melbourne, was raised in Michigan but embraced the green and gold as a teenager and peaked at a ranking of 32 last year during a promising season in which she won two WTA Tour titles.
Both players present for this match with uncertainty, with the most fascination surrounding the level Williams is at.
She had moments in her doubles outings earlier this month but singles is a significant step up and as remarkable as she is, she would have to improve on her form last month.
But Joint is experiencing a case of second season blues, in part due to a back injury she suffered at Indian Wells, but also due to her rivals scouting her more closely this year.
A nominee for the Newcombe Medal last year, she has won just three of the 18 matches she has played this season and her ranking has slid to 53.
She suffered first round losses in her two lead-in tournaments on grass but was not far away in either in a sign of improvement.
If she can handle the occasion, she has the chance to claim a big scalp and said Tomljanovic, a dual-Wimbledon quarterfinalist who played superbly to down Williams on Arthur Ashe Stadium back in 2022, had provided a word of encouragement.
“She gave me a little pep talk, which was nice,” Joint said.
“(She said) that I can beat anyone and that she (Williams) will be just as nervous, probably, coming back.
“The first match at Wimbledon is not going to be easy. Everyone is going to have some pressure and some nerves.”
Is the Demon reborn?
Alex de Minaur presented as a broken man at Roland Garros five weeks ago when sensing a golden opportunity had gone begging in Paris after a third round loss.
The 27-year-old said a review was in order and floated taking a break as he assessed a four set loss to Jakub Mensik, who subsequently reached the semi-finals to illustrate the loss was not a bad one in the circumstances.
“I’ve been kind of taking a step back recently,” de Minaur said on Saturday.
“I’ve been the number one person who’s been pretty hard on myself. I’ve been pretty disappointed in my results, but I’ve also reminded myself that, maybe to my standards I’ve not had the best year, but I’m still in a pretty good position. So there’s no need to be too tough on myself.”
The Demon’s break from professional tennis lasted only a week, with the Aussie edged in a super tiebreaker in a final in the Netherlands early in the grass court season, denying him a rare Dutch double after his title run in Rotterdam in February.
The No.5 seed was then beaten in a quarterfinal at Queens and has reason to feel like he has enough matches and is in good enough form to produce his best at Wimbledon, where he has performed well in the past.
“Getting on to the grass-court season has come at a pretty good time,” he said.
“It’s always a part of the year in which I feel refreshed and energised, and I feel quite happy, because things start to make sense quite quickly on the grass for me.
“There’s been some good tennis being played, my game is trending in the right direction. Obviously very excited to be here at Wimbledon, and looking forward to hopefully being here for a while.”
Lleyton Hewitt, coach of Alex de Minaur of Australia, observes a practice match during previews, before The Championships Wimbledon 2026 at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on June 26, 2026 in London, England. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
Grass is a leveller, to an extent, and it can be argued that the gap between the Aussie and the very best is smallest at Wimbledon where his lightning speed and flatter groundstrokes come to the fore.
This has been the case over his last two visits to the All England Club.
In 2024 de Minaur, who faces Argentinian Roman Andres Burruchaga on Tuesday, was playing the best tennis of his career until an untimely injury forced him to forfeit a quarterfinal against Novak Djokovic.
He left London lamenting another opportunity gone begging last year when he let the seven-time champion off the hook late in the fourth set of a compelling Rd of 16 encounter on Centre Court.
While little merit should be placed on assessing a draw on paper, de Minaur will be favoured in the infancy of the tournament, with his first real test arguably coming in the third round should he face Kamil Majchzrak.
The Polish player, who served a doping suspension in 2024 and 2025, edged the Australian in the final in the Netherlands earlier this month, with her tiebreaker providing an example of what will be the secret to the Sydneysider’s hopes.
His serve, which is so often under scrutiny, was askew late in the piece and it cost him a second title for the season. But if he can find his range, expect the Demon to push into the second week at the very least once again.
Will Sinner sizzle or fizzle?
Defending champion Jannik Sinner will clearly be grateful Wimbledon is starting this Monday and not a week prior given the stifling heatwave that has swamped London and most of Europe over the last week.
The Italian has melted in his past two majors. He was extremely fortunate when the roof closed at Melbourne Park in January when in clear peril before wilting badly at Roland Garros last month in one of the biggest stunners tennis has seen in years.
Having been dominant on clay across Europe, Sinner had won 17 of the first 23 games against Juan Manuel Cerundolo in his second round encounter when he hit a heat wall and succumbed, costing him a chance at completing a career Grand Slam.
He has not played since and it is reported he has undergone medical testing in Italy since in a bid to find a solution. It will still be warm by usual English standards this week, but temperatures in the mid-20s are clearly preferable to scorchers in the 30s.
The No.1 seed, who will kick off Centre Court proceedings on Monday, said there is “no magic behind it” but he has been preparing in the heat in the hope of coping better in conditions getting “warmer and warmer”.
“We’ve made changes, not big ones but small details. We are happy with what we are doing. We’re not going to see the results here (because) it is a long process,” he said.
“I feel prepared. We’ve changed the physical work a bit, we’re doing longer training sessions both in the gym and on the court, all together without breaks. We did it to understand a lot of things, maybe what I had felt on court.”
With dual-champion Carlos Alcaraz still absent due to a wrist injury, the world No.1 is clearly the man to beat, but he will be watched closely, particularly with the temperature predicted to peak again at the start of the second week.
As always, Djokovic is a leading contender. Can the grand old man of tennis secure a 25th major title?
The clock is ticking and he would be the oldest man, and landing in the same half as Sinner is a blow.
But he beat the Italian in a semi-final of the Australian Open and if he happened to progress and do the same again at Wimbledon, he will not have to back up against Alcaraz in the decider.
Although he exited unusually early at Roland Garros, it took a sublime finish from boy wonder Joao Fonseca to deny him in a thriller and only Roger Federer has enjoyed more success in men’s ranks at the All England Club. Look out for a big run from Novak!
As always, there are question marks on other contenders including de Minaur outside the top guns.
German Alexander Zverev may flourish with the freedom that comes with having secured a grand slam title, but only a handful of greats have completed the “Channel Double”, with Alcaraz the most recent to do so in 2024.
LONDON, ENGLAND – JUNE 25: Jannik Sinner of Italy trains on Court 1 before The Championships Wimbledon 2026 at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on June 25, 2026 in London, England. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
Can Andreeva complete the Channel Double?
Will Wimbledon prove a Mirra image to Roland Garros in the women’s singles?
Having broken through for a maiden major win in Paris, Mirra Andreeva might just go on a tear given the tools that saw her prevail at Roland Garros should also translate to the grass.
The teenager has a willingness to come forward and is highly capable at the net, but also has the great touch and court craft to work the angles and keep her rivals scrambling.
And the French-based Russian can play on grass, having reached the last 16 on debut at Wimbledon in 2023 prior to a run to the quarterfinals last year.
“Obviously the feelings I experienced after winning (at Roland Garros) for the first day and a couple more days after that were incredible. I really want to try and experience them again,” she said.
“So that’s kind of a little addiction that I think a lot of players have after winning. So that’s going to be my goal, to try and, I don’t know, repeat that and to experience those feelings again.”
LONDON, ENGLAND – JUNE 26: Mirra Andreeva of Russia high-fives Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan during a training match, during previews before The Championships Wimbledon 2026 at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on June 26, 2026 in London, England. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
The other leading contenders in world No.1 Aryna Sabalenka, reigning champion Iga Swiatek, past winner Elena Rybakina and Coco Gauff remain key contenders, but all have their convictions.
Sabalenka is yet to win at Wimbledon and the mental frailty that seemed a bad habit of the past has come to prominence again, with the dual-Australian Open champion losing the plot at Roland Garros and in a grass lead-in when dropping the final sets 6-0.
Swiatek’s success last year was astonishing for the score line – a 6-0 6-0 humiliation of Amanda Anisimova – and because her form on grass as an adult had been below her best elsewhere, even though she was a junior Wimbledon champion.
But the triumph did not catapult her back to her near-unbeatable best and Swiatek is no longer the clear standout player.
Rybakina, if on song as she was in Australia in January, is a phenomenal player but those perfect runs in majors have come only twice.
Sustaining supreme form is the challenge but if she does, she is clearly capable of claiming a second Wimbledon title.
A player worth keeping an eye on is Naomi Osaka, who enters the tournament under a cloud given a foot complaint.
For a star who was the world’s highest-earning female athlete at her peak, there was always a quirk surrounding Osaka.
Put simply, even when she was the world No.1, you could effectively put a line through her name in Europe given her lack of effectiveness on natural surfaces.
The world premier hard court player prior to the pandemic – she is a dual Australian and US Open champion – Osaka has not reached the same heights since returning to the circuit after becoming a mum.
But there are signs she is regaining her best and, in a bonus for the Japanese star who was raised in the US, the recent pointers have come on grass and clay.
A run to the last 16 at Roland Garros was her best performance at the French Open and she blitzed her way to the final in Germany this week in a decent tier tournament before retiring midway through the decider.
As a pointer to her form, she was able to whip through her first four matches in about an hour or so each time, which is indicative of a player in good form.
Does that put her among the leading major contenders? Not yet. But Osaka is clearly a player on the rise again and is definitely a woman to keep an eye on at Wimbledon and through the hard court swing in North America on her preferred surface.
The woman who beat her in Germany, Karolina Muchova, is also an elite talent who may yet clinch a major.
Serbia’s Novak Djokovic serves as he practices with Italy’s Jannik Sinner on No. 1 Court at The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, southwest London, on June 25, 2026, ahead of the 2026 Wimbledon Championships. (Photo by Adrian Dennis / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USESource: AFP
What about the rest of the Aussies?
While the Demon is the leading hope for Australia and Joint will find herself in the spotlight on Tuesday, there are another 11 Aussies in singles action at Wimbledon this year.
Only four of the contingent are in action on the opening day and none will feature on the show courts. Aleks Vukic starts proceedings from an Aussie perspective against American Jenson Brooksby on Court 8 at 8pm AEST.
Adam Walton and Rinky Hijikata go back to back on Court 10 later in the day against Dino Prizmic and Jasper de Jong respectively, while Daria Kasatkina plays English wildcard Mimi Xu.
The first round matches for all Australians are as follows:
Daria Kasatkina Vs (WC) Mimi Xu
Ajla Tomljanovic Vs (Q) Mariam Bolkvadze
Maya Joint Vs (WC) Serena Williams
Kimberly Birrell Vs (Q) Alina Korneeva
Talia Gibson Vs (21) Marie Bouzkova
Aleksandar Vukic Vs Jenson Brooksby
Adam Walton Vs Dino Prizmic
Rinky Hijikata Vs Jesper de Jong
(5) Alex de Minaur Vs Roman Burruchaga
James Duckworth Vs Tallon Griekspoor
Thanasi Kokkinakis Vs (10) Alex Bublik
Alexei Popyrin Vs (13) Jiri Lehecka
(Q) Dane Sweeny Vs (WC) Grigor Dimitrov