If you have been following any of the major tennis events this year, you already know that Italy’s Yannick Sinner is the man to beat at Wimbledon 2026.

He is the world No. 1, the defending champion, and the bracket has opened up for him because two-time winner Carlos Alcaraz is sidelined with a wrist injury.

The women’s title is the harder read and that’s where punters can find some interesting opportunities for value. Elena Rybakina, Aryna Sabalenka and a cluster of in-form challengers are separated by very little, so the better value sits on that side of the draw.

The Championships run from 29 June to 12 July at the All England Club, and the draw is made this Friday. Both singles champions will collect record prize money this year, up 20 per cent on 2025.

Men’s Wimbledon 2026 Predictions

With Alcaraz watching on, the men’s draw has lost the one player capable of matching Sinner over five sets on grass. That changes the shape of everything below the top seed.

Jannik Sinner, the Man to Beat

[[Sinner is our pick to retain the title]](ADD LINK: Wimbledon event page). He beat Alcaraz in four sets in last year’s final for his first Wimbledon crown, and his flat, early ball-striking suits the low grass bounce as well as anyone’s in the game.

His clay swing ended with a shock second-round loss in Paris, but grass wipes that slate clean. He has skipped Halle and Queen’s to train privately at the All England Club, which points to a player backing his own preparation over warm-up matches.

Of course, the draw is what matters most. With Alcaraz out, the man most likely to drag Sinner into a fifth set is absent, so the holder has the cleaner run.

He is the shortest price in Sportsbet’s Wimbledon outright market , and on this surface that reads as fair rather than generous.

Novak Djokovic, the Veteran Danger

Novak Djokovic is the most credible threat. The seven-time champion is chasing a record 25th major, and nobody left in the field reads these lawns better than he does.

Form is the catch. He fell to around No. 8 in the world after a third-round exit in Paris, and at 39 the long runs are harder to assemble. His return and movement still travel onto grass, though, so a place in the second week would surprise nobody. Handed a kind draw, he is the one man who can ask Sinner the hardest questions.

Alexander Zverev and the Grass Question

Alexander Zverev arrives as the newest major winner after taking his maiden Slam at Roland Garros. That makes him dangerous on confidence, less so on this surface.

His Wimbledon record is thin for his ranking, with no run past the fourth round and an opening-match loss here last year.

He also went out in the Halle semis during the warm-ups. The talent keeps him in the contender bracket, but grass is where his game gives the most away.

The Dark Horses

A handful of others can wound the seeds without troubling the engraver.

• Frances Tiafoe won Halle for the biggest title of his career, so his timing on grass is sharp
• Taylor Fritz reached that Halle final and has always travelled well on the surface.
• Ben Shelton owns the serve to shorten points and snatch quick sets.
• Daniil Medvedev made the semis in ’s-Hertogenbosch and goes deep when his footing holds.
• Flavio Cobolli backs a French Open final with a career-high ranking and rising belief.

Can an Australian Win Wimbledon 2026?

Alex de Minaur is the realistic Australian hope, and he turns up in the best grass form of his career.

The world No. 6 reached the final in ’s-Hertogenbosch and went deep at Queen’s as top seed, so the lead-in could hardly be better.

A title is a stretch with Sinner and Djokovic above him, but a quarter-final or deeper is well within reach if the draw is fair.

His defence and return hold up on grass, and he has the stamina to grind through the opening rounds. Ash Barty was the last Australian to win a Wimbledon singles title, back in 2021, so the drought is not ancient history.

Behind him, Jordan Thompson , Alexei Popyrin and Rinky Hijikata can each spring a result in the right matchup, while Nick Kyrgios sits out after withdrawing injured from the grass swing.

Women’s Wimbledon 2026 Predictions

The women’s draw has no clear leader, which makes it the more interesting punt for anyone weighing up the outright and each-way markets.

Four or five players hold a genuine claim, and the surface reorders them against the rankings.

Elena Rybakina, Built for Grass

Elena Rybakina is our lean for the women’s title. She won here in 2022, added the Australian Open in January, and her serve and flat hitting are built for grass.

The world No. 2 does her damage exactly where this event is decided, on serve and on the front foot.

Clay is her weakest surface, so the early Paris exit means little now. Back on lawn, her game matches the conditions better than anyone else’s, and that counts for more than a ranking line.

Aryna Sabalenka, No. 1 With Unfinished Business

Aryna Sabalenka is the world No. 1 and the most reliable deep-run player in the women’s game, yet Wimbledon is the major that keeps slipping away. Her power should bully most opponents on a quick court, so the ability is not the issue.

History is. Her best here is the semi-finals, and the low grass bounce has caught out her timing before. Iron that out and she lifts the trophy. We have her a fraction behind Rybakina purely on surface fit.

Iga Świątek, the Defending Champion

Iga Świątek defends the title she won in ruthless style last year, losing not a single game in the final. That result proved she can solve grass when it counts, and it keeps her firmly in range.

Her recent record against the very best has been uneven, so the old aura has dimmed a touch. The defending champion carries weight at this tournament, though, and dismissing her would be a mistake.

Mirra Andreeva, the Form Pick

[[Mirra Andreeva is the live dark horse]](ADD LINK: Wimbledon event page). She won Roland Garros at 19 for her first major, and that kind of belief travels across surfaces. The world No. 6 has the all-court game and the calm head for a long fortnight.

Grass will test her footwork against the bigger hitters, but momentum is real in tennis, and right now she carries more of it than anyone in the field.

The Chasing Pack

A few more can reach the closing weekend:

• Coco Gauff brings elite movement and a heavy serve, even if her consistency comes and goes.
• Amanda Anisimova pushed to the final here last year and strikes cleanly enough to repeat it.
• Donna Vekic has just won the Queen’s grass title and is a nasty early-round draw for anyone.
• Jasmine Paolini and Madison Keys complete a group with real upside.

Home interest rests with Emma Raducanu , a Queen’s finalist whose grass form is climbing at the right moment.

The biggest story sits outside the title race. Serena Williams has returned to tour and will play both singles and doubles as a wildcard, lining up alongside sister Venus in the doubles.

At 44 she is not a singles contender, yet her comeback is the talking point of the fortnight.