Wimbledon opens after chaotic grass week

Wimbledon begins with the grass season still throwing loose balls into the draw. From June 22 through June 29, Zizou Bergs won his first ATP title in Eastbourne, Alejandro Davidovich Fokina finally broke through in his sixth tour-level final in Mallorca, Karolina Muchova took Bad Homburg after Naomi Osaka retired hurt, and Madison Keys made Eastbourne feel like familiar property again. Serena Williams' return, Emma Raducanu's late withdrawal, and Carlos Alcaraz's absence now turn the first week at SW19 into more than a standard Grand Slam opening.

The cleanest way to read the week: the warm-up events did not merely hand out trophies. They changed immediate Wimbledon context. Bergs and Ugo Humbert meet again in the first round after playing the Eastbourne final. Serena drew Maya Joint, a 20-year-old who just lost early in Eastbourne. Jannik Sinner opens as defending champion after medical checks and heat-prep changes. Novak Djokovic sits in Sinner's half. Alcaraz is not in the draw.

Zizou Bergs (Belgium, world No. 48 entering the event) beat Ugo Humbert (France, No. 30, seed No. 6) 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 in the Eastbourne ATP 250 final on June 28, a match pushed from Saturday to Sunday by rain. It was Bergs' first ATP Tour title and made him the first Belgian man in the Open Era to win an ATP title on grass. 1

Bergs arrived in Eastbourne on a six-match losing streak, then left with a five-match winning streak and a Wimbledon first-round date with the same opponent he had just beaten. 2 His post-final line fit the week: "The results are not there, we keep focusing on improving. And that's why we're here today, standing with the trophy." 1

Mallorca produced the other ATP first-time champion. Alejandro Davidovich Fokina (Spain, seed No. 2) defeated Ethan Quinn (United States) 7-6(4), 6-3 in the final on June 27, winning his first ATP singles title after losing his previous five tour-level finals. 3 Davidovich Fokina dropped only one set all week and became the first Spanish player to win the Mallorca title in the tournament's six editions. 4

Quinn's week still mattered. The 22-year-old American had never gone beyond the quarterfinal stage at an ATP event before Mallorca, then reached his first semifinal and first final in the same week. 5

Madison Keys (United States, seed No. 2) beat Tatjana Maria (Germany) 7-5, 6-4 in the Eastbourne WTA 250 final on June 27. Keys did not lose a set all tournament, and this was her third Eastbourne title after 2014 and 2023. 6 She joined Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova as three-time Eastbourne champions, and the title was her 11th on the WTA Tour. 6

Keys' draw was uneven around her, but her own path was simple: Talia Gibson 6-4, 6-4; Jessica Bouzas Maneiro 6-0, 6-1; McCartney Kessler 6-3, 6-1; Petra Marcinko by retirement after a 6-1 first set; and Maria in the final. 7 At the trophy ceremony, Keys called Eastbourne "such a special place" and said winning there for a third time meant "the absolute world" to her. 6

Bad Homburg took the opposite route. Karolina Muchova (Czech Republic, seed No. 4) won the WTA 500 final when Naomi Osaka (Japan, seed No. 6) retired with a foot injury while trailing 6-1, 1-0 on June 27. 8 It was Muchova's third career WTA title, her first on grass, and her first WTA 500 title. 8

Osaka had reached her first career grass-court final without dropping a set in four matches, including a 6-2, 6-2 quarterfinal win over Ekaterina Alexandrova in 60 minutes. 9 The retirement made her Wimbledon preparation uncertain without erasing the main signal from the week: Osaka's grass level was strong until her body stopped the run.

Bad Homburg also lost both top seeds early. Emma Navarro beat Iga Swiatek 7-5, 2-6, 6-3 in the second round, while Alexandrova beat Mirra Andreeva 6-3, 6-4 in the same round. 10 Those losses left the draw open for Muchova, Osaka, Wang Xinyu, and qualifier Elena-Gabriela Ruse to occupy the semifinal line. 10

Serena Williams is back in the Wimbledon singles draw at age 44. She accepted a wildcard and drew Maya Joint (Australia, world No. 53) in the first round, her first Wimbledon singles match since 2022 and her first competitive singles appearance since the 2022 US Open. 14 If Serena beats Joint, she would face Alexandra Eala, the No. 29 seed from the Philippines, if Eala wins her own opener. 14

The locker room reaction is part of the story. Mirra Andreeva said, "I don't think anyone in the draw would have wanted to play against Serena." 15 Maya Joint said, "I always dreamed about playing Serena Williams, and if you'd told me 10 years ago that I'd be playing her first round at Wimbledon, that's just crazy." 16

Serena will also play doubles with Venus Williams. The sisters drew Camila Osorio and Solana Sierra in the first round, and they bring 14 Grand Slam doubles titles, including six at Wimbledon. 17

On the men's side, Jannik Sinner starts the tournament as defending champion and No. 1 seed. He beat Cameron Norrie 6-3, 6-3 at the Hurlingham Club exhibition on June 24, then said, "It was very warm, but physically I felt good." 18 After medical tests at San Raffaele Hospital in Milan following his French Open heat-related collapse, Sinner said, "All tests were really good." 19

Sinner opens on Centre Court against Miomir Kecmanovic in the defending champion's traditional slot on Monday, followed by Aryna Sabalenka against Teodora Kostovic and Djokovic against Wu Yibing. 20 Djokovic and Sinner landed in the same half of the men's draw, creating a possible semifinal meeting. 21

Alcaraz's absence is the biggest structural change to the men's event. The world No. 2 and two-time Wimbledon champion is out with a wrist injury, leaving Alexander Zverev as the No. 2 seed and moving several grass threats into a more open path. 14 22

Raducanu's withdrawal came later. On Sunday June 28, the day before play began, Emma Raducanu withdrew with a stress fracture after a final scan; she had been the No. 30 seed and Britain's highest-ranked woman. 22 Her statement was direct: "I've done everything possible to try to get to the start line tomorrow but after a final scan tonight, the niggle I've been managing has developed into a stress fracture and I've been medically advised to stop pushing through." 22

The withdrawal count reached 18: 10 ATP players and eight WTA players, including Alcaraz, Lorenzo Musetti, Holger Rune, Sebastian Korda, Victoria Mboko, Hailey Baptiste, Marketa Vondrousova, and Raducanu. 22

There was better British news in qualifying. Ollie Tarvet, Billy Harris, and Max Basing all came through Roehampton, the first time since 1999 that three British men qualified for the Wimbledon main draw. 23 Tarvet said, "I think I have come a long way from where I qualified last year." 23

The ATP top five stayed in order on June 29: Sinner at No. 1 with 13,450 points, Alcaraz at No. 2 with 9,460, Zverev at No. 3 with 7,190, Felix Auger-Aliassime at No. 4 with 4,390, and Ben Shelton at No. 5 with 4,160. 24 The change that mattered was lower down: Flavio Cobolli entered the top 10 at No. 10 with 3,460 points, while Andrey Rublev dropped to No. 13. 24

On the WTA side, the top seven stayed fixed: Aryna Sabalenka, Elena Rybakina, Swiatek, Jessica Pegula, Andreeva, Amanda Anisimova, and Coco Gauff. 11 The new top-10 line had Elina Svitolina at No. 8, Muchova at No. 9, and Victoria Mboko at No. 10. 11

The first Wimbledon checkpoint is whether the grass warm-up form travels. Bergs-Humbert is the cleanest test because it repeats the Eastbourne final immediately. 2 Keys has the strongest completed WTA week behind her, but her ranking still leaves her outside the top 20. 11 Muchova arrives with a title and a top-10 ranking, while Osaka arrives with form and a foot-injury question. 8

The bigger bracket question sits with Sinner and Djokovic. Sinner has the opening slot, a clean medical update, and no official grass tune-up tournament. Djokovic has no warm-up events either, a familiar Wimbledon schedule, and a possible semifinal collision with the defending champion. 18 21

Then there is Serena. Her Tuesday opener against Joint is not just a nostalgia match. It is a live draw event with a possible Eala second round and Swiatek looming in the same section. 14