World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka enters the 2026 Wimbledon championships with a historic objective: becoming the first WTA player since Steffi Graf in 1996 to win both the BNP Paribas Open and Wimbledon in the same calendar year. Following her victory at Indian Wells earlier this season, Sabalenka aims to secure her first Wimbledon title, a tournament where she has reached the semi-finals in each of the past three years.
According to reports from the tournament organizers at the BNP Paribas Open, the stakes extend beyond the trophy. Sabalenka is currently defending her WTA No. 1 ranking against 2022 champion Elena Rybakina. The two players have split their head-to-head meetings over the past 12 months; should both advance to the final, the match will serve as a direct showdown for the world number one spot.
The tournament also marks the return of seven-time champion Serena Williams, who has accepted a wild card entry for her first singles appearance since the 2022 US Open. Meanwhile, defending champion Jannik Sinner leads the men’s field in the absence of Carlos Alcaraz, and Novak Djokovic continues his pursuit of a record-equaling eighth Wimbledon title.