Wimbledon Day 1 schedule: Sinner and Djokovic begin campaigns amid relief from heat
Wimbledon 2026 opens with Jannik Sinner, Novak Djokovic and Aryna Sabalenka leading Day 1 on Centre Court. Their starts come as London's heat eases, though changed conditions remain a factor.
The pristine grass courts of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club are ready for action as Wimbledon 2026 gets underway on Monday, 29 June. Day 1 features a star-studded line-up packed with definitive title contenders, structural shift narratives, and intriguing opening-round tests. All eyes will be on Centre Court and No. 1 Court as the top half of the men's draw and the bottom half of the women's draw commence their campaigns on the historic SW19 lawns.
Wimbledon's premier show courts will host some of the biggest names in modern tennis. Action on Centre Court begins at 1:30 PM BST, while Court No. 1 matches will commence slightly earlier at 1:00 PM BST.
Here are the confirmed fixtures for the first two courts in chronological order
Centre Court (From 6 pm IST)
Match 1: Jannik Sinner [1] vs Miomir Kecmanovic
Match 2: Aryna Sabalenka [1] vs Teodora Kostovic
Match 3: Yibing Wu vs Novak Djokovic [7] No. 1
Court 1 (From 5:30 PM IST)
Match 1: Antonia Ruzic vs Emma Raducanu [30]
Match 2: Marin Cilic vs Daniil Medvedev [8]
Match 3: Magda Linette vs Mirra Andreeva [5]
Court 2 (From 3:30 pm IST)
Match 1: Jessica Pegula (4) vs D Vidmanova
Match 2: Cameron Norrie (26) vs Michael Zheng
Match 3: Felix Auger Aliassime (3) vs Aleksandr Shevchecnko
Match 4: Coco Guaff (7) vs Tamara Korpatsch
WHAT TO EXPECT FROM THE BIG GUNS
Great expectations rest on the shoulders of the day's three marquee players: Jannik Sinner, Novak Djokovic, and Aryna Sabalenka.
Jannik Sinner
Defending champion Jannik Sinner shoulders the unique pressure of opening the fortnight on Centre Court, a privilege that tests a player's nerve as much as their baseline rhythm. The world number one arrives in London looking to banish the ghosts of a physically demanding French Open semi-final exit, where gruelling five-set conditions ultimately exposed a rare vulnerability in his otherwise flawless season.
Drawn against the stubborn Miomir Kecmanovic in his opening match, the Italian's primary challenge will be to establish his sliding defense and hyper-aggressive groundstrokes on a pristine grass surface that remains notoriously slick during these opening encounters.
Novak Djokovic
For Novak Djokovic, entering SW19 as the seventh seed represents a fascinating shift in narrative, placing the seven-time champion in the rare position of a hunting predator rather than the hunted favourite.
The Serbian maestro has already sounded the alarm on how London's recent scorching heatwave has "totally transformed" the All England Club's living surface, warning that the baking soil changes ball bounce and alters footwork mechanics. Opening his campaign against the unpredictable Yibing Wu, Djokovic's peerless grass-court IQ and unmatched ability to navigate altered surface properties will be heavily relied upon as he faces a tough road to the quarterfinals, having been drawn in the same half as Sinner.
Aryna Sabalenka
Top-seeded Aryna Sabalenka steps onto Centre Court with a point to prove and a game built to dismantle grass-court defenses. Her immense serving power and punishing, flat groundstrokes make her a natural favorite on this surface, but the true test for the Belarusian lies in managing the tactical nuances of the opening week's evolving conditions. Facing qualifier Teodora Kostovic in the first round, Sabalenka will need to maintain intense focus through potentially heavier, humidity-softened balls, ensuring her high-octane game finds its target without the erratic baseline spells that have occasionally derailed her deep Slam runs.
HOW HOT WILL LONDON BE?
Beyond their opponents, players must contend with brutal atmospheric conditions as an unprecedented heatwave grips Europe.
But, there is a bit of relief.
Londoners are catching a much-needed break from the punishing, record-shattering heatwave that gripped the capital over the past week.
The Met Office's unprecedented string of consecutive Red Extreme Heat warnings, sparked by stifling humidity and daytime highs soaring toward a brutal 38 degrees Celsius to 39 degrees Celsius, officially broke the UK's all-time June temperature record. Compounded by sleepless "tropical nights" where temperatures refused to drop below 20 degrees Celsius, the city's infrastructure and residents were pushed to their limits.
The pristine grass courts of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club are ready for action as Wimbledon 2026 gets underway on Monday, 29 June. Day 1 features a star-studded line-up packed with definitive title contenders, structural shift narratives, and intriguing opening-round tests. All eyes will be on Centre Court and No. 1 Court as the top half of the men's draw and the bottom half of the women's draw commence their campaigns on the historic SW19 lawns.
Wimbledon's premier show courts will host some of the biggest names in modern tennis. Action on Centre Court begins at 1:30 PM BST, while Court No. 1 matches will commence slightly earlier at 1:00 PM BST.
Here are the confirmed fixtures for the first two courts in chronological order
Centre Court (From 6 pm IST)
Match 1: Jannik Sinner [1] vs Miomir Kecmanovic
Match 2: Aryna Sabalenka [1] vs Teodora Kostovic
Match 3: Yibing Wu vs Novak Djokovic [7] No. 1
Court 1 (From 5:30 PM IST)
Match 1: Antonia Ruzic vs Emma Raducanu [30]
Match 2: Marin Cilic vs Daniil Medvedev [8]
Match 3: Magda Linette vs Mirra Andreeva [5]
Court 2 (From 3:30 pm IST)
Match 1: Jessica Pegula (4) vs D Vidmanova
Match 2: Cameron Norrie (26) vs Michael Zheng
Match 3: Felix Auger Aliassime (3) vs Aleksandr Shevchecnko
Match 4: Coco Guaff (7) vs Tamara Korpatsch
WHAT TO EXPECT FROM THE BIG GUNS
Great expectations rest on the shoulders of the day's three marquee players: Jannik Sinner, Novak Djokovic, and Aryna Sabalenka.
Jannik Sinner
Defending champion Jannik Sinner shoulders the unique pressure of opening the fortnight on Centre Court, a privilege that tests a player's nerve as much as their baseline rhythm. The world number one arrives in London looking to banish the ghosts of a physically demanding French Open semi-final exit, where gruelling five-set conditions ultimately exposed a rare vulnerability in his otherwise flawless season.
Drawn against the stubborn Miomir Kecmanovic in his opening match, the Italian's primary challenge will be to establish his sliding defense and hyper-aggressive groundstrokes on a pristine grass surface that remains notoriously slick during these opening encounters.
Novak Djokovic
For Novak Djokovic, entering SW19 as the seventh seed represents a fascinating shift in narrative, placing the seven-time champion in the rare position of a hunting predator rather than the hunted favourite.
The Serbian maestro has already sounded the alarm on how London's recent scorching heatwave has "totally transformed" the All England Club's living surface, warning that the baking soil changes ball bounce and alters footwork mechanics. Opening his campaign against the unpredictable Yibing Wu, Djokovic's peerless grass-court IQ and unmatched ability to navigate altered surface properties will be heavily relied upon as he faces a tough road to the quarterfinals, having been drawn in the same half as Sinner.
Aryna Sabalenka
Top-seeded Aryna Sabalenka steps onto Centre Court with a point to prove and a game built to dismantle grass-court defenses. Her immense serving power and punishing, flat groundstrokes make her a natural favorite on this surface, but the true test for the Belarusian lies in managing the tactical nuances of the opening week's evolving conditions. Facing qualifier Teodora Kostovic in the first round, Sabalenka will need to maintain intense focus through potentially heavier, humidity-softened balls, ensuring her high-octane game finds its target without the erratic baseline spells that have occasionally derailed her deep Slam runs.
HOW HOT WILL LONDON BE?
Beyond their opponents, players must contend with brutal atmospheric conditions as an unprecedented heatwave grips Europe.
But, there is a bit of relief.
Londoners are catching a much-needed break from the punishing, record-shattering heatwave that gripped the capital over the past week.
The Met Office's unprecedented string of consecutive Red Extreme Heat warnings, sparked by stifling humidity and daytime highs soaring toward a brutal 38 degrees Celsius to 39 degrees Celsius, officially broke the UK's all-time June temperature record. Compounded by sleepless "tropical nights" where temperatures refused to drop below 20 degrees Celsius, the city's infrastructure and residents were pushed to their limits.
