Chwalinska, Dimitrov and the Williams sisters headline Wimbledon’s initial wild cards
Roland-Garros finalist Maja Chwalinska, returning Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov, veteran Stan Wawrinka and the reunited Williams sisters feature among the All England Club’s first wild-card selections for The Championships 2026.
Venus et Serena Williams, Wimbledon 2016 | © BPI / Bestimage / PsNewz
The All England Lawn Tennis Club announced its initial wild cards for Wimbledon 2026 on Tuesday, with Roland-Garros finalist Maja Chwalinska, returning Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov and three-time major champion Stan Wawrinka among those handed places in the singles main draws, and Serena and Venus Williams receiving a wild card to play ladies’ doubles together.
Men’s singles wildcards
Grigor Dimitrov returns to the scene of one of the most painful moments of his career. The Bulgarian was leading Jannik Sinner by two sets to love in last year’s fourth round when he collapsed while serving, retiring with a torn pectoral muscle – his fifth consecutive Grand Slam withdrawal through injury. Aged 35, he’s currently World No.169, with 200 of his 345 points won at Wimbledon in 2025.
Stan Wawrinka, the three-time Grand Slam champion, takes a place in the men’s singles at 41, extending one of the longest careers on tour.
Jacob Fearnley (World No.130), is the leading British name on the list, an established main-draw presence after his breakthrough season rather than a novelty pick.
Arthur Fery (No. 140) returns as a home wild card, the British player whose past Wimbledon run gave him an outsider’s profile on the grass.
Jack Pinnington Jones (World No.147) is among the younger British selections, one for the next-generation watch. Toby Samuel (No.144) completes the British contingent in the men’s draw.
Two places in the gentlemen’s singles wild-card list remain to be announced.
Women’s singles
Maja Chwalinska is the standout name in the women’s list. The Polish qualifier reached the Roland-Garros final three weeks ago, beating four top-50 players before losing to Mirra Andreeva 6-3, 6-2. Now the world No. 21, she returns to the All England Club, where her best previous Grand Slam result was a second round at Wimbledon in 2022. In Paris, she said she didn’t believe in a wild-card.
Harriet Dart (World No.52) features in the singles and doubles draws, a familiar home presence at the Championships.
Alicia Dudeney (No.209) is among the younger British wild cards, also appearing in the doubles. Hannah Klugman (World No.509) is one of the most-touted British junior prospects of recent years. Mika Stojsavljevic (No.263), also in the doubles draw, continues the run of British teenage prospects given a Championships platform. Katie Swan (No.190) is an experienced British wild card, a steadier home-interest name among the younger picks. Mimi Xu (No.254), the Welsh teenager who also features in the doubles, rounds out the women’s singles list. One singles wild card remains to be announced.
Doubles: the Williams reunion
The announcement’s headline pairing is in the ladies’ doubles, where Serena and Venus Williams have been handed a wild card to play together. It’s their first appearance as a doubles team since the 2018 French Open, where they lost in the third round.
This is a new milestone is Serena’s journey to a comeback. The 23-time Grand Slam singles champion marked her comeback last week with a straight-sets doubles win alongside Victoria Mboko at the HSBC Championships at Queen’s Club, her first match since the 2022 US Open. The pair beat Nicole Melichar-Martinez and Erin Routliffe 7-6, 6-2 to reach the quarter-finals. She will play in Berlin with Karolina Muchova.
