ATP Tour

Sinner, Zverev, Djokovic & more: 10 Wimbledon storylines to watch

Jannik Sinner will aim to defend his title this fortnight at Wimbledon, where he is seeking his fifth major trophy. Seven-time titlist Novak Djokovic and recent Roland Garros champion Alexander Zverev are also among the stars competing at the grass-court major.

Sinner is the top seed and was drawn in the same half as Djokovic. Zverev anchors the bottom half of the draw.

ATPTour.com highlights 10 storylines to follow at Wimbledon.

1) Defending champ Sinner returns: The World No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings and last year’s champion, Sinner is competing for the first time since his shocking second-round exit at Roland Garros. The 24-year-old, who enters the grass-court major with a 37-3 season record, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index, will look to rediscover the form he found a year ago at Wimbledon, where he beat great rival Carlos Alcaraz in the final.

2) Seven-time titlist Djokovic: Djokovic is set for his 21st Wimbledon appearance. The 39-year-old Serbian has tallied 102 match wins at the grass-court major and has lifted the trophy seven times, one shy of tying Roger Federer’s record. A 24-time major champion, Djokovic last won the Wimbledon title in 2022.

3) Newly crowned major champ Zverev: With a longtime weight finally lifted off his shoulders after his Roland Garros triumph, Zverev is competing at the All England Club as the sport’s newest major champion. After a semi-final run at his home ATP 500 in Halle, Zverev will be eager to improve upon his career-best fourth-round finish at Wimbledon, a feat he has achieved three times (2017, 2021 and 2024).

4) Intriguing R1 matches: Several eye-catching first-round matches will take place in the opening days of the tournament. Last year’s semi-finalist Taylor Fritz, seeded sixth, clashes against home favourite and former World No. 4 Jack Draper. Three-time major champion Stan Wawrinka, making his final Wimbledon appearance, starts against 2021 finalist Matteo Berrettini. Casper Ruud and Hubert Hurkacz meet in a battle between two former Top 10 players. Eighth seed Daniil Medvedev faces 2017 finalist Marin Cilic.

5) Felix, Shelton, Demon complete Top 5 seeds: Felix Auger-Aliassime, Ben Shelton and Alex de Minaur round out the top five seeds, respectively, and each player has previously reached the quarter-finals at SW19. The highest-ranked active male never to have won a major, Auger-Aliassime has won just one match across his last four Wimbledon outings. Stuttgart champion Shelton reached the last eight in 2025, only falling to eventual champion Sinner. De Minaur reached the quarters in 2024, but had to withdraw due to a hip injury that kept him sidelined for six weeks.

6) Roland Garros finalist Cobolli seeks to continue career-best season: Ninth seed Flavio Cobolli has been playing some of the best tennis of his life this year, having reached his first major final in Paris and cracking the Top 10 of the PIF ATP Rankings. A quarter-finalist last year at the grass-court major, the 24-year-old is two victories shy of earning his 100th career tour-level match win.

7) #NextGenATP stars: The top three players in the PIF ATP Live Next Gen Race — Rafael Jodar, Joao Fonseca and Martin Landaluce — will all be in action at Wimbledon. Jodar is making his All England Club debut as the 23rd seed. Fonseca, who reached the third round last year, is seeded 24th. Landaluce, like his fellow Spaniard Jodar, is making his Wimbledon debut.

8) Home contingent: British No. 1 Cameron Norrie leads the 12 home hopes in the main draw. The 26th seed, and a 2022 semi-finalist at Wimbledon, Norrie is joined by fellow British players Draper, Jan Choinski, Arthur Fery, Billy Harris, Toby Samuel, Jack Pinnington Jones, Jacob Fearnley, among others.

9) Recent grass champions aim for surprise run: Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich Fokina arrives after winning his first ATP Tour title on the grass courts of Mallorca. The 27-year-old is seeded 22nd at Wimbledon. Poland’s Kamil Majchrzak also won his maiden ATP Tour crown this month on grass, lifting the trophy in ‘s-Hertogenbosch, where he upset three Top-10 stars en route to the title. Majchrzak, who meets 30th seed Alejandro Tabilo in the opening round, will look to rely on his recent grass-court form in that first-round test.

10) British star Evans says farewell: Former World No. 21 Daniel Evans will play the final event of his career in doubles, alongside 20-year-old Henry Searle, whom he is also coaching. The 36-year-old Evans announced on social media earlier this month that he would put a bow on his standout career at his home major. Evans competed in singles qualifying and fell in the second round.