Wimbledon begins on Monday with defending champion Jannik Sinner aiming for a fifth Grand Slam title and women's top seed Aryna Sabalenka chasing her first major of the year. In the absence of rival and two-time Wimbledon winner Carlos Alcaraz, Sinner is the clear favorite, but the Italian may have to contend with hot weather and his own lack of preparation as he seeks to defend his title.
Sinner's Preparation and Mindset
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 grasscourt 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."
Sabalenka's Quest for Wimbledon Glory
Sabalenka has been at the top of the WTA rankings since late 2024, but the Belarusian has only won one Grand Slam title in the past 18 months, despite reaching four finals. She also suffered a collapse against Diana Shnaider in the French Open quarter-finals last month, losing the last 10 games in a row. She said after that she wanted to "quit tennis" but has since worked with a psychologist and said she was not affected as much by losing to Jessica Pegula in this month's Berlin Open semi-finals. "I felt really good throughout the tournament there. I struggled a little bit here and there, (but) overall I feel like things are clicking back together," she told reporters ahead of her opening match against Teodora Kostovic. The four-times major champion has never won Wimbledon, but she has reached the semi-finals in her last three appearances.
Djokovic's Pursuit of History
Novak Djokovic has spent the last 2-1/2 years trying to capture a 25th major crown that would see him overtake Margaret Court. Wimbledon could be his best bet for achieving that. The Serbian star, a seven-time Wimbledon champion, will be aiming to add to his record tally at the All England Club.
