The world's most prestigious tennis tournament. Grass courts, all-white dress codes, strawberries and cream, and the most famous court in sport.
The essential numbers before the first serve is struck.
Start here — the essentials in five minutes.
Love, 15, 30, 40, deuce — tennis scoring is unlike any other sport. We break down points, games, sets, and tiebreaks in plain language so you always know what's at stake.
Grass is the fastest surface in tennis — the ball stays low, skids through quickly, and big servers dominate. It rewards a completely different style of play than clay or hard courts.
128 players. Single elimination. 7 wins to glory. We explain seedings, how the bracket is structured, and why the draw release the Friday before play begins is its own event.
All-white dress code. No advertising on Centre Court. Strawberries and cream. A queue stretching for miles. Wimbledon is as much about its rituals as the tennis itself.
The narratives that will define this year's Championships.
Jannik Sinner became the first Italian to win Wimbledon in 2025, defeating Carlos Alcaraz in four sets in a final that lived up to every expectation. He arrives in 2026 as the world number one, with a serve-and-baseline game that translates exceptionally well to grass. Defending at Wimbledon is notoriously difficult — only Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic have done it consistently — but Sinner has the mental fortitude and physical edge to make a genuine run.
Iga Świótek's 2025 Wimbledon title was emphatic — she dropped only one set en route to the final, then delivered a stunning 6–0, 6–0 demolition in the final itself. Historically, the grass court surface was considered a vulnerability for her game. That is no longer a credible argument. She arrives at the 2026 Championships as the clear favourite, with a serve and return game that has been rebuilt around grass court demands.
Carlos Alcaraz won Wimbledon in back-to-back years (2023 and 2024) before losing the 2025 final to Sinner. His serve-volley versatility, explosive movement, and ability to vary pace make him the most dangerous grass court player in the draw outside the defending champion. An Alcaraz–Sinner final would be one of the most anticipated matches in the tournament's history.
Jack Draper has emerged as a genuine Grand Slam contender, with a massive left-handed serve, aggressive returning, and improving fitness that have carried him into the top ten. Playing at home on grass — the surface that suits his game best — Draper carries the weight of British expectations. Andy Murray's Wimbledon titles in 2013 and 2016 showed what a British champion can mean. Draper has the tools; the question is tournament depth.
Aryna Sabalenka's raw power and aggressive serving make her a perennial threat at Wimbledon. Coco Gauff — still only 22 — has the athleticism and court awareness to go deep on any surface, and her game has developed significantly. Elena Rybakina, whose flat and penetrating serve is especially effective on grass, is always a danger. Any of these three could end Swiótek's campaign.
Every year Wimbledon produces at least one deep run by a lower-ranked player with a game built for grass — a big server or natural net rusher who cannot crack the clay and hard court grind of the rest of the calendar but thrives in the two weeks in Wimbledon. These are the players who make the draw unpredictable. Watch the first round seedings carefully for mismatches.
The most famous tennis venue in the world, on Church Road in Wimbledon, south-west London.
Centre Court holds around 15,000 spectators and is regarded as the most prestigious court in tennis. A retractable roof was installed in 2009, allowing play to continue in rain — a significant change from the era when a Wimbledon shower could halt the entire tournament for hours. Night sessions were added after the roof installation, creating a completely new atmosphere for evening matches under artificial light.
Tradition is deeply embedded here: the Royal Box sits at one end, and players (with rare exceptions) bow or curtsy when entering and leaving. The court is prepared to exacting standards each year — the grass cut to exactly 8mm.
The second-largest show court, seating just over 12,000. Many of Wimbledon's most dramatic matches unfold here rather than Centre Court — first and second round surprises, five-set classics between seeds who were not allocated the main stage. The atmosphere can rival Centre Court when a match catches fire.
The All England Club hosts 18 courts across the grounds. Matches on the outer courts — Court 3 through to the unnamed outer courts — take place just feet from the public queue on Wimbledon Park. New fans are sometimes surprised by how close spectators stand to play on smaller courts, creating an intimacy absent from the main stadiums.
Wimbledon uses perennial ryegrass — the same variety across all courts. The surface is overseeded after each Championship and carefully maintained throughout the year. By the second week of the tournament, the baseline areas show visible wear from the concentration of serve and return positions. The worn patches are part of the character of Wimbledon grass and are factored into player strategy.
In the United States, Wimbledon is broadcast on ESPN and ESPN2, with streaming on ESPN+. ABC carries selected finals. BBC Sport provides comprehensive UK coverage including live streams. Eurosport covers Wimbledon across Europe. The BBC's coverage from Wimbledon is among the longest-running sports broadcast partnerships in television history.
The Wimbledon Queue is a tradition unlike anything in sport. Thousands of fans camp overnight — or simply arrive very early — to purchase same-day tickets for Centre Court, Court 1, and Court 2. The Queue has its own official guidance document. Regulars treat it as a social event. Tickets are available even if you arrive the morning of play — but Centre Court tickets for later rounds disappear quickly.
Two weeks, seven rounds, one champion on each side of the draw.
No Grand Slam has more rituals — and none guard them more carefully.
Players must wear predominantly white clothing throughout the tournament — a rule more strictly enforced than at any other major. No colour flashes, no dark trim. The rule applies from the moment a player steps onto the grounds. Kit manufacturers design specific Wimbledon lines each year.
Over 30,000 portions of strawberries and cream are consumed at Wimbledon each year — the tournament's most famous food pairing. The tradition dates to the Victorian era. The strawberries come from a dedicated supplier in Kent and are harvested the night before serving to ensure freshness.
Centre Court has no courtside advertising boards — a deliberate choice that sets it apart from every other major tennis venue. Sponsor logos appear elsewhere on the grounds, but the court itself is kept clean. It is one of the most distinctive visual signatures of any sporting event in the world.
The Royal Box sits at the north end of Centre Court and is the most prestigious seat at any Grand Slam. Members of the royal family attend regularly. Players traditionally bow or curtsy when entering Centre Court — though this was made optional for the reigning monarch's subjects in 2003, the gesture remains common practice.
Wimbledon uses its own terminology: the women's draw is the "Ladies' Singles," the men's draw is the "Gentlemen's Singles." The winner receives The Challenge Cup (men's) or The Rosewater Dish (women's). Announcers refer to the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in full — the "Croquet" in the name is not accidental; the club began as a croquet venue in 1868.
Wimbledon has used Slazenger balls since 1902 — the longest-running equipment sponsorship in sport. New balls are introduced every seven to nine games. The balls are stored at 68°F (20°C) before use to ensure consistent bounce. On a grass court, ball condition matters enormously; a fluffy, worn ball sits up differently than a new one.