By Aadi Nair
June 25 (Reuters) – The following are some of the top contenders for the men’s singles title at Wimbledon, which begins on Monday:
JANNIK SINNER (ITALY)
* World ranking: 1
Defending champion Sinner returns to the All England Club as the top seed and still the player to beat, despite his shock second-round exit to Juan Manuel Cerundolo at the French Open last month.
In the absence of injured rival Carlos Alcaraz, it is hard to look past the Italian, who has been the dominant force of 2026 and won the first five Masters 1000 events of the season.
The 24-year-old has not played a grasscourt warm-up event before beginning his Wimbledon title defence, but he believes his lack of time on the court may work in his favour.
“I’m always trying to see the positives in situations, and the positive part of going out early of Roland Garros – even though I would have of course liked to go deeper – is getting some extra time,” Sinner told Vogue in an interview published on Monday.
“We try to maximize every day, so there have been a lot of long practice sessions, and I’m very happy with the shape and mental state I’m in right now.”
NOVAK DJOKOVIC (SERBIA)
* World ranking: 8
Djokovic arrives at Wimbledon with his hunt for a record 25th Grand Slam title now more than halfway into its third year, while he is also hoping to win a record-equalling eighth crown at the grasscourt Grand Slam.
The 39-year-old showed he is still a major threat by beating Sinner en route to this year’s Australian Open final, but he has been sidelined for extended spells this year and was one of the many players to be dumped out of the French Open in the early stages.
ALEXANDER ZVEREV (GERMANY)
* World ranking: 3
Zverev finally shed his “nearly-man” tag by winning a long-overdue first Grand Slam title at Roland Garros and will head to London with renewed belief in his own abilities.
Grass, however, is something he is yet to master, with the German having failed to win a title on the surface over the course of an otherwise successful career.
He suffered a shocking first-round exit at Wimbledon last year and has never gone beyond the fourth round at the tournament, though he has built up some momentum with a semi-final run in Halle.
BEN SHELTON (UNITED STATES)
* World ranking: 5
Shelton has made himself impossible to ignore after claiming titles on all three surfaces in 2026 (Dallas, Munich and Stuttgart).
In Stuttgart this month, he beat compatriot Taylor Fritz to win his first grasscourt title, though he went on to lose to his fellow American in three tiebreak sets in the Halle quarter-finals.
His wicked serve and athleticism make him a dangerous proposition as he seeks to improve on his run to the Wimbledon quarter-finals last year, where he was beaten by eventual champion Sinner.
TAYLOR FRITZ (UNITED STATES)
* World ranking: 7
Fritz has always enjoyed playing on grass, winning five titles on the surface, including two last year – Eastbourne and Stuttgart.
While the 2024 U.S. Open finalist has not won a tournament in the build-up to Wimbledon, he contested back-to-back finals in Halle and Stuttgart, before opting not to defend his Eastbourne title in order to regain fitness.
If he is at his best, his serve and forehand can cause serious damage to any player in the draw.
(Reporting by Aadi Nair in Bengaluru, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
Comments