Wimbledon Day 1 Schedule and Results: Full Order of Play, Court 1, Centre Court Times & Predictions

Wimbledon Day 1 Overview 2026

The Wimbledon Day 1 schedule and results mark the true start of the grass-court season’s biggest event. The 2026 Championships are the 139th edition of the tournament and run from Monday, 29 June to Sunday, 12 July at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Church Road, SW19, London. Day 1 is always a first-round day for both the gentlemen’s and ladies’ singles, with 64 men’s matches and 64 women’s matches packed across the full 18-court site.

This year’s opening day carries extra weight because two-time champion Carlos Alcaraz has withdrawn from Wimbledon 2026 due to a wrist injury, which reshapes the entire draw. Defending champion Jannik Sinner enters as the outright favourite, and Roland Garros champion Alexander Zverev moves up to the No. 2 seed. On the women’s side, world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, defending champion Iga Świątek, and 2022 champion Elena Rybakina headline a wide-open field. Serena Williams has also accepted a wildcard into the singles draw, making her potential Day 1 appearance one of the most talked-about storylines of the tournament.

Because the draw and the day-by-day order of play are only confirmed close to the start, this guide explains exactly how the Wimbledon Day 1 schedule works, where to find the official order of play the moment it drops, and which players and matchups are worth watching based on current seeding and form.

Wimbledon Day 1 Schedule: Court Times Explained

Every Wimbledon Day 1 schedule follows a near-identical daily rhythm, and 2026 is no different. Here is exactly when play begins on each part of the grounds.

An important detail many fans miss: the outside courts can be delayed or suspended by rain, but Centre Court and Court 1 both have retractable roofs, so their part of the Wimbledon Day 1 schedule almost never moves once the day’s play begins. There is also an 11:00 PM BST curfew on Centre Court, enforced by the local council — any match still in progress at that point is suspended and resumes the next day, first on the order of play.

Wimbledon 2026 Schedule: Centre Court, Day 1

Tradition dictates that the reigning gentlemen’s champion opens Centre Court on the opening Monday. For 2026, that honour goes to Jannik Sinner, who becomes the first Italian to carry that distinction after winning his maiden title last July. Centre Court on Day 1 typically features four matches: two gentlemen’s singles and two ladies’ singles first-round ties, mixing the defending champion with a marquee women’s match and at least one British player to satisfy home support.

• Play begins at 13:30 BST sharp, with no warm-up matches before it.
• The defending men’s champion traditionally plays first on Centre Court.
• British players are usually scheduled on Centre Court or Court 1 on Day 1 where possible.
• Exact opponents and order are only locked in on the official order of play, released the evening before — usually around 19:00 BST.

Wimbledon 2026 Schedule: Court 1, Day 1

Court 1 is the second show court and usually carries three to four matches on Day 1, starting at 13:00 BST — half an hour before Centre Court. It typically hosts a mix of seeded players, a notable women’s match, and sometimes a doubles fixture to close the day. Because Court 1 also has a roof, fans searching for “wimbledon 2026 schedule court 1” can rely on its start time staying fixed even in wet weather.

How to Find the Confirmed Wimbledon Day 1 Order of Play and PDF

The match-by-match Wimbledon order of play 2026 for Day 1 is not published weeks in advance — it is confirmed the evening before, once the seeded draw, qualifiers and any late withdrawals are finalised. Here’s exactly where to look:

1. Wimbledon.com official schedule page — the definitive source, updated live throughout the day.
2. Wimbledon order of play PDF — a downloadable, printable version released each evening on the official site (the source many people mean when they search “wimbledon day 1 schedule and results pdf”).
3. ATP Tour and WTA official sites — mirror the daily schedule with player rankings attached.
4. The Wimbledon app — pushes notifications when a match involving a followed player is about to start.

If you’re looking back at past tournaments rather than 2026, the same logic applies for searches like “wimbledon day 1 schedule and results 2022” or “2021” — those order-of-play PDFs remain archived on wimbledon.com under each year’s results section.

Wimbledon 2026 Seeds and Favourites

Knowing the seeding picture is the foundation of any sensible Wimbledon Day 1 prediction, since first-round matchups are built directly from it. Here’s where the leading contenders stand heading into the Championships.

For context on the gulf in form heading into 2026: Sinner has compiled a 37-3 win-loss record this season with five titles already, which is exactly why he opens as the clear pre-tournament favourite even without facing his usual rival in the draw.

Wimbledon Day 1 Predictions: Men’s and Women’s

While exact Day 1 pairings depend on the final order of play, sensible Wimbledon Day 1 predictions can be made by combining seeding, grass-court form, and recent results.

Wimbledon Day 1 men’s predictions

• Jannik Sinner is the strong favourite in his opening match — Day 1 first-round losses for a defending No. 1 seed are rare, and Sinner has not dropped a set in his last few Wimbledon openers.
• Watch for floaters: lower seeds such as Ugo Humbert and Brandon Nakashima have the game to cause early upsets against bigger names if they land tough first-round draws.
• Novak Djokovic, even without a deep run guaranteed, is expected to win comfortably on Day 1 given his Wimbledon pedigree.

Wimbledon Day 1 women’s predictions

• Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Świątek are both expected to win in straight sets if scheduled on Day 1 — both arrive with strong recent grass-court form.
• If Serena Williams is drawn against a seeded player on Day 1, expect a tight opening set followed by the seed pulling away physically — her wildcard run is built on experience rather than current ranking.
• First-round shocks are historically common in the women’s draw at Wimbledon; treat any seed outside the top 10 as vulnerable to an in-form unseeded grass-court mover.

Wimbledon Day 1, Last Year: What Actually Happened

Looking at the most recent completed tournament is the best way to set realistic expectations for how Day 1 typically plays out. At Wimbledon 2025, Jannik Sinner opened Centre Court as the reigning gentlemen’s champion, becoming the first Italian player to do so, while Iga Świątek followed on Day 2 as the reigning women’s champion. Sinner made short work of his early matches, beating Pedro Martínez 6-1, 6-3, 6-1 on Centre Court without dropping a set.

That tournament eventually produced one of the most dramatic finals in years: Sinner came through four sets in three hours and four minutes to beat defending champion Carlos Alcaraz 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4, becoming the first Italian to win the Wimbledon singles title. On the women’s side, Iga Świątek delivered the most complete performance of her career, beating first-time finalist Amanda Anisimova 6-0, 6-0 in just 57 minutes — only the second 6-0, 6-0 Grand Slam final in the Open Era. The 2025 first round was also historically chaotic: 13 of the 32 seeds lost in the first round, the most in the Open Era and a record tied with the 2004 Australian Open. That single fact is the best reason to treat any Day 1 prediction with some caution — even strong seeds are not safe in round one on grass.

How to Watch Wimbledon Day 1

Wimbledon Day 1 coverage is broadcast live from the first ball at 11:00 BST through to the close of play on Centre Court. Most territories carry a dedicated tennis channel or streaming app with simultaneous coverage of Centre Court, Court 1, and a roaming feed of the outside courts. The official Wimbledon app and website also provide free live scores, point-by-point stats, and order-of-play updates that refresh automatically — useful if you only want results rather than a full broadcast.

Tickets and Gate Times on Day 1

Gates open at 10:30 BST on Day 1, the same as every other day of the Championships, giving fans roughly 30 minutes to find their seats before outside-court play begins at 11:00. On Day 1, the best Centre Court seats are priced around £115 while Grounds Passes cost around £33 — both well below the prices charged later in the tournament once fewer players remain. Anyone planning to attend should always check official Wimbledon ticketing pages before buying, since pricing depends on session type and availability rather than a single flat rate.

Looking Ahead: Day 10, 11, 12, and 14

If Day 1 is your starting point, here’s how the rest of the Wimbledon 2026 schedule unfolds so you can plan ahead:

Both the men’s and women’s singles finals are scheduled to begin around 14:00–16:00 local time on Centre Court during the closing weekend, with Court 1 starting earlier at 11:00 to clear the doubles finals.

FAQs

What day does Wimbledon start in 2026?

Wimbledon 2026 starts on Monday, 29 June, and runs through Sunday, 12 July, making it 14 days from first ball to the men’s final.

What time does the Wimbledon Day 1 schedule begin?

Outside courts begin at 11:00 BST, Court 1 begins at 13:00 BST, and Centre Court begins at 13:30 BST on Day 1.

Where can I find the Wimbledon Day 1 schedule and results PDF?

The official order of play PDF is published on wimbledon.com the evening before each day’s play, including Day 1, and archived results PDFs from past years (2021, 2022, and beyond) remain available in the results section of the official site.

Who plays first on Centre Court on Wimbledon Day 1?

By tradition, the reigning gentlemen’s singles champion opens Centre Court on Day 1. For 2026, that is defending champion Jannik Sinner.

Is Carlos Alcaraz playing Wimbledon 2026?

No. Alcaraz, the two-time defending champion before 2025, has withdrawn from Wimbledon 2026 due to a wrist injury, significantly opening up the men’s draw.

What is the Wimbledon 2026 final time?

The men’s and women’s singles finals are scheduled for the closing weekend, 11–12 July, with Centre Court play typically starting in the early-to-mid afternoon local time.

How accurate are Wimbledon Day 1 predictions?

Treat them as a guide, not a guarantee. At Wimbledon 2025, a record-tying 13 of 32 seeds lost in the first round, showing how unpredictable round-one matches can be even with strong form on paper.