Wimbledon 2026 LIVE: Thousands join queue as Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic star in first day's play at SW19

8,000 tennis fans in queue by 6.30am as two weeks of blockbuster action to begin at All England Tennis Club

Thousands of tennis fans have descended on SW19 for the start of Wimbledon.

More than 8,000 fans were in the queue by 6am this morning as the two-week championships gets under way at the All England Club later.

Action begins on the outside courts this morning before men’s champion and world number one Yannik Sinner takes to the Centre Court at 1.30pm.

British hope Emma Radacanu, seeded 30th, withdrew due to injury ahead of her scheduled match against Croatian Antonia Ruzic today.

Those hoping to see the spectacular return of legend Serena Williams, 44, after four years away from the sport will have to wait until Tuesday when she is scheduled to play.

'I would've loved to have seen Alcaraz...but I'll make do with Sinner', tennis fan says

Approached by The Standard in the Queue this morning, one tennis fan said: “I would’ve loved to have seen Alcaraz but he’s not playing this year, so I’ll make do with Sinner,” he joked.

Despite being bitten by the midges, he said it’s still “well worth” queueing for.

The first time he queued for the Wimbledon Championships some years back he said he didn’t have to stay overnight but instead took a camping chair out at 6am on the day.

Now, it’s a much bigger event and experience, so you have to arrive the night before.

Lavazza coffee to be handed out to people in The Queue

Lavazza, which is handing out a new drinks range in collaboration with Muller, will be handing out coffee to tennis fans in the queue.

Queue-goers will have the chance to sample four Italian-inspired coffee flavours - Cappuccino, Latte Macchiato, Caramel Latte flavour and Cappuccino Tiramisù flavour as they wait to get tickets.

Wimbledon - Order of Play

Centre Court - 1.30pm start

Jannik Sinner (ITA) vs Miomir Kecmanovic (SRB)

Aryna Sabalenka vs Teodora Kostovic (SRB)

Yibing Wu (CHN) vs Novak Djokovic (SRB)

Court 1 - 1pm start

TBC

Marin Cilic (CRO) vs Daniil Medvedev

Magda Linette (POL) vs Mirra Andreeva

Court 2 - 11am start

Jessica Pegula (USA) vs Darja Vidmanova (CZE)

Michael Zheng (USA) vs Cameron Norrie (GBR)

Felix Auger-Aliassime (CAN) vs Aleksandr Shevchenko (KAZ)

Not Before 16.30: Tamara Korpatsch (GER) vs Coco Gauff (USA)

Court 3 - 11am start

Rafael Jodar (ESP) vs Felix Gill (GBR)

Casper Ruud (NOR) vs Hubert Hurkacz (POL)

Not Before 14.30: Elsa Jacquemot (FRA) vs Naomi Osaka (JPN)

Not Before 16.30: Barbora Krejcikova (CZE) vs Hannah Klugman

Court 12 - 11am start

Mananchaya Sawangkaew (THA) vs Maja Chwalinska (POL)

Arthur Rinderknech (FRA) vs Oliver Tarvet (GBR)

Not Before 14.30: Karolina Muchova (CZE) vs Anastasia Zakharova

Brandon Nakashima (USA) vs Jack Pinnington Jones (GBR)

Court 18 - 11am start

Belinda Bencic (SUI) vs Mika Stojsavljevic (GBR)

Alexandre Muller (FRA) vs Tommy Paul (USA)

Roberto Bautista Agut (ESP) vs Joao Fonseca (BRA)

Leylah Fernandez (CAN) vs Janice Tjen (INA)

'You cannot be serious' SWP protesters shout

Footage taken at Wimbledon Park this morning shows protesters from Save Wimbledon Park chanting ‘you cannot be serious’.

They are campaigning against All England Lawn Tennis Club’s (AELTC’s) proposed multi-million pound expansion onto the site of the former Wimbledon Park Golf Club.

Around 10,000 people now in the queue

It’s 7.30am and there are around 10,000 people in the queue, our reporter Maddie tells us. She is speaking to tennis fans at Wimbledon Park.

“Everyone’s got a smile on their face, for the first day of The Championships,” Maddy said.

“There’s a real buzz and excitement about this week’s Championships with Jack Draper playing and Serena Williams, so it’s all very exciting.

“Everyone was very jolly and upbeat considering it is so early in the morning.

“There are even some very eager campers that started pitching their tents for tomorrow’s Championships. They’ll be camping overnight tonight.

“But everyone is very happy to be here.”

Around 10,000 people now in the queue

ES

Can I still get Wimbledon tickets?

To secure Wimbledon tickets, spectators can enter the official Public Ballot or otherwise line up in "The Queue" for on-the-day sales.

The Public Ballot seats are allocated automatically based on the best tickets available at the time - it is not possible to request tickets for specific days or courts - and only one application can be made per household as Wimbledon is over-subscribed.

The Queue functions similarly to a walk-in box office and sells premium tickets for show court matches as well as the grounds.

The Queue begins the evening before and increases very early in the morning. Tickets are sold at one per person and are non-transferable.

A physical ticket resale kiosk inside the grounds.

For die-hard fans, premium Debenture tickets guarantee a seat at the court and are the only type of Wimbledon ticket which can be legally transferred or sold on the open market.

Official hospitality packages also offer enhanced experiences for well-heeled guests.

What is the prize money like for Wimbledon winners?

Wimbledon prize money: Men's and women's singles

First round - £80,000

Second round - £126,000

Third round - £185,000

Fourth round - £300,000

Quarter-finals - £480,000

Semi-finals - £900,000

Runner-up - £1.8m

Winner - £3.6m

There has been an overall increase of 22% from 2025

Who will win Wimbledon? Cheat's guide to this year's runners and riders

Who will win Wimbledon? Cheat's guide to 2026's runners and riders

From Tiger Sabalenka and die-hard Djokovik to Sinner and Gauff, Katie Strick looks into who’s got the balls to conquer SW19

Save Wimbledon Park protesters join tennis fans in The Queue

Dressed as tennis balls and holding large placards, protesters from Save Wimbledon Park have joined tennis fans in the queue this morning.

The group is actively protesting a proposed multi-million pound expansion by the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC).

The plans could see the construction of 38 new tennis courts and an 8,000-seat stadium on the site of the former Wimbledon Park Golf Club, which would enable the club to host qualifying matches for the tournament.

But campaigners argue the expansion will decimate the local environment, cause up to eight years of industrial construction disruption, destroy hundreds of mature trees, and permanently concrete over protected Metropolitan Open Land.

After a legal battle that began in 2021, the High Court ruled in March this year that the land designated for the All England Club's expansion is not subject to a public recreation trust, thus removing a major obstacle and clearing the way for the project to proceed.

Despite this, protesters continue to press ahead with their campaign.

Campaigners from SWP at the start of the queue

ES

Campaigners from SWP at the start of the queue

ES

Campaigners from Save Wimbledon Park protesting ahead of the opening day of the 2026 Wimbledon Championships

Mike Egerton/PA Wire

How expensive is it to move to Winbledon?

In 2025, Wimbledon was named the number one most-searched-for area of London by Rightmove, beating out Fulham in second place, Chiswick in third place, Hampstead at number four and Chelsea at number five.

Rightmove stated: "Within London itself, Wimbledon was the most searched location by buyers in 2025, with leafy suburbs attracting significant attention across the board."According to the property website, house prices in Wimbledon sold for an average of £860,949 over the last year.

Most of the properties sold were flats, selling for an average price of £470,871. Terraced properties sold for an average of £984,086, with semi-detached properties fetching £1,327,518.Overall, the historical sold prices in Wimbledon over the last year were 1% down on the previous year and 5% down on the 2022 peak of £908,056.

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