Serena Returns as Wimbledon’s Main Draw Begins

Miami Open

Qualifying is done, the draw is on the wall, and on Monday the most storied tournament in tennis begins its main draw. Wimbledon 2026 starts next week, and before the first serve, here’s what to know. 

Serena Williams, 44 years old and four years removed from her last Grand Slam singles match, has accepted a wildcard into the women’s draw. Long before this comeback, she owned Miami. Serena won the Miami Open title a record eight times, more than any player in the tournament’s history, and it remains the most successful tournament of her career. Williams will also play doubles alongside her sister Venus, their first pairing at Wimbledon in a decade. For anyone who grew up watching the Williams sisters train on Florida courts before they took over the sport, these matches carry a weight that reminds us of our childhoods. 

The men’s draw has its own storyline to watch, with Carlos Alcaraz sitting out this tournament due to a wrist injury. Jannik Sinner arrives as the world No. 1 and the defending Miami Open and Wimbledon champion, opening against Miomir Kecmanovic. The road ahead is anything but clear, though. And don’t count out Novak Djokovic. Seeded seventh and chasing a record 25th major, the seven-time Wimbledon winner could collide with Sinner as they both approach finals weekend. 

The women’s side may be the deepest field of the year. Aryna Sabalenka holds the No. 1 seed and a question that has trailed her onto the grass: can the best hard-court player in the world finally win a major somewhere else? Miami already knows her game. Sabalenka is our two-time champion, winning back-to-back in 2025 and 2026. Defending Wimbledon champion Iga Swiatek, seeded third, returns to prove last year was no accident. And the next wave is already here, led by 19-year-old Mirra Andreeva, the newly crowned French Open champion, and 2025 finalist Amanda Anisimova. 

Two weeks. Two champions. A comeback the sport has waited years to see and a first round packed with names you already know. Grass is the surface where careers are defined and legends are made, and this year the stage is set for all of it. 

It is also a reminder of what makes this sport unlike any other, the same feeling we bring to Hard Rock Stadium every March. The two players seeded No. 1 in London, Sinner and Sabalenka, both won the Miami Open this past tournament. The best players in the world, the biggest moments, and a crowd that lives every point. Wimbledon is the lawn. Miami is the party. Both showcase the best of what the sport has to offer.