6 Players Who Are at Risk of R1 Upsets at Wimbledon, Featuring Iga Świątek, Taylor Fritz

The main draw of the 2026 Wimbledon Championships begins on Monday, June 29, with the best players in the world battling it out for one of the most prestigious titles in the sport of tennis.

However, as is often the case at Grand Slams, we are bound to see some upsets at Wimbledon. So, which players could be in danger of suffering early exits at the All England Club?

Iga Świątek

Świątek may be the reigning women’s singles champion at Wimbledon, but her season is quickly turning into a disastrous one by her high standards. The Pole suffered a shock loss in her opening match against Emma Navarro at the Bad Homburg Open this week, adding to her woes.

The third seed faces a tricky test against Taylor Townsend in the first round at Wimbledon. This will be their first meeting on the WTA Tour, and the American will hope to take full advantage of the uncertainty surrounding Świątek’s game.

Taylor Fritz

After a shock first-round exit at the French Open, Fritz came roaring back with back-to-back finals to kick-start the grass-court swing. However, an injury scare forced him to miss the Eastbourne Open, leaving his Wimbledon campaign in doubt.

At his best, Fritz is one of the top grass-court players in the world. He serves well and moves sharply on the surface. However, the American has been handed a nightmare first-round draw against home favorite Jack Draper.

Backed by two-time Wimbledon champion Andy Murray, Draper will have an upset in his sights in this blockbuster clash. He also holds a 3-2 head-to-head lead against Fritz, which will give him confidence in upsetting the American in the first round at Wimbledon.

Casper Ruud

Ruud is a clay-court specialist and does not quite enjoy playing on grass. He has never made it past the second round at Wimbledon and will be in for a tough battle against the experienced Hubert Hurkacz.

The Pole excels on grass and has one title to his name on the surface with a win percentage of 63%. The season so far has not gone according to plan for Hurkacz, but he is a former Wimbledon semifinalist and will fancy his chances in this first-round match.

Daniil Medvedev

Medvedev will take on Marin Čilić in one of the most highly anticipated matches of the first round. The Russian has had a mixed start to the grass-court swing, reaching the semifinals in ‘s-Hertogenbosch and the quarterfinals in Halle. However, he was given a tough battle by Čilić when the two players met earlier this month.

The big-serving Čilić remains a tricky player to face on grass, with a win percentage of 70% on the surface. We believe that the 2017 Wimbledon finalist has every chance of rolling back the years and pulling off an upset against Medvedev, who was also sent packing in the first round at the All England Club last year.

Kateřina Siniaková

The top-ranked player in women’s doubles is also seeded for the women’s singles draw at the Wimbledon Championships. The 32nd seed will face Zheng Qinwen in the first round in a match that could go down to the wire.

Zheng is going through a rough spell at the moment as she looks to return to her best after a lengthy injury layoff. But she remains capable of defeating even the best players in the world and will be eager to make her mark at Wimbledon.

These two players also met at Wimbledon last year, with Siniaková winning in three sets. Zheng will be eyeing revenge when the two face off the repeat first-round clash.

Emma Navarro

Navarro takes on Paula Badosa in what could be a fascinating first-round match. The American has seemingly overcome her health concerns and claimed an impressive win over Świątek earlier this week.

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However, Navarro has struggled to find consistency in her game. And that is something the resilient Badosa will hope to capitalize on. The Spaniard enjoyed an encouraging run in Berlin, defeating Coco Gauff in three sets. And last year she beat Navarro at the tournament in straight sets. She will now look to make her mark at Wimbledon.