By Tony Fairbairn, Britwatch Sports at Wimbledon
- Iga Swiatek [3] v Taylor Townsend
- Matteo Berrettini v Stan Wawrinka [WC]
- Serena Williams [WC] v Maya Joint
LONDON, ENGLAND – Iga Swiatek will begin her Wimbledon title defence against Taylor Townsend as Serena Williams plays at a Grand Slam for the first time in four years.
Iga Swiatek [3] v Taylor Townsend H2H & Match Fundamentals
| Iga Swiatek [3] v Taylor Townsend | H2H: First Meeting |
| Wimbledon 2026 | London, England |
| Grass (O) | Prize Money: £80,000 |
| First on Centre Court (13:30 BST) | BBC One, BBC Two and BBC IPlayer |
There have been ten different winners in the last ten years in the women’s singles. That is a statistic that Iga Swiatek will not want to hear ahead of her title defence at Wimbledon this year. The Pole secured her maiden Wimbledon title in impressive fashion last year and proving that she can conquer the grass of London as well as the clay of Paris. However, Swiatek has not been in great form this year and seems to be suffering from a little bit of an identity crisis at the moment. There is no better place for Swiatek to put things right then at Wimbledon where she will hope that her form can be inspired by the positive memories of last year.
A big test awaits Swiatek in the form of American Taylor Townsend who seems to thrive on the big occasions. The American has been dominating the doubles game and is hoping to translate that confidence onto the singles court. However, wins have been hard to come by for Townsend in singles as she has struggled to find consistency and hasn’t been able to dictate play as easily. Now, Townsend looks to play with freedom and cause a big upset on Centre Court.
Swiatek will capitalize on any weak second serves as she will use the forehand to extract errors from the Townsend game. Meanwhile, Townsend will look to serve aggressively and finish point off at the net. This will be a tight contest with Swiatek expected to be nervous early on. However, the Pole will use her experience and quality to edge into the second round.
Prediction: Swiatek in three sets.
Matteo Berrettini v Stan Wawrinka [WC] H2H & Match Fundamentals
| Matteo Berrettini v Stan Wawrinka [WC] | H2H: First Meeting |
| Wimbledon 2026 | London, England |
| Grass (O) | Prize Money: £80,000 |
| Third on No.1 Court (17:00 BST) | BBC One, BBC Two and BBC IPlayer |
It has been a tough last couple of years full of injuries and mental health problems for Matteo Berrettini. Every time the Italian is seemingly down and out, Berrettini continues to prove the doubters wrong and that was once again the case at Roland Garros when the Italian reached the quarter-finals. Berrettini has done well to recover from injury in Paris to make it at Wimbledon where he reached the final in previous years. The big serve and forehand combination will look to do more damage at SW19 as he aims for another deep run at Wimbledon.
Standing in his way is multiple-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka. The 41 year-old is playing his final Wimbledon as he looks to end his career on a high note. Despite Wawrinka’s success at all the other tournaments in his career, Wawrinka never really produced true success at Wimbledon. It would be fitting if on his final appearance in SW19, Wawrinka produced his best success on the grass and became the surprise package of this year’s tournament. Does Wawrinka have the consistency to put it all together?
Berrettini will serve big and will use the forehand to dictate play while finishing the points off at the net. Meanwhile, Wawrinka will aim to block the returns and use variety to force errors from Berrettini’s game. This will be a blockbuster clash with both producing high-quality moments. The Italian will be the one to be more consistent with his shot selection as he will end Wawrinka’s Wimbledon career.
Prediction: Berrettini in four sets.
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Serena Williams [WC] v Maya Joint H2H & Match Fundamentals
| Serena Williams [WC] v Maya Joint | H2H: First Meeting |
| Wimbledon 2026 | London, England |
| Grass (O) | Prize Money: £80,000 |
| Third on Centre Court (17:30 BST) | BBC One, BBC Two and BBC IPlayer |
It’s a return to Grand Slam tennis for Serena Williams. Four years after her last Grand Slam contest, the 23-time Grand Slam champion returns with a different goal on her mind. To chase a wild dream and to take this opportunity to return in her bid to enjoy the sport she has played since she was a child. This is an opportunity that she never thought would happen again and now she has the chance to play on Centre Court once again. How far will the American go this year?
The first test will be against Australian Maya Joint. Last year, Joint enjoyed a very good breakout season which included reaching the Eastbourne final. However, this season hasn’t been Joint’s best which has seen her ranking decline and the talented Australian has been short of confidence. A match on Centre Court against the best female tennis player of all time may be what Joint requires to regain motivation and confidence in her game as an exciting challenge awaits.
Williams will serve big and use the forehand to move Joint around the court while attacking the net. Meanwhile, Joint will aim to return well and use the backhand top open up the space on the court. This will be a decent first test for Williams, who’s serve is expected to cause Joint problems in what is a monumental occasion.
Prediction: Williams in straight sets.
