Tennis news: Novak Djokovic withdraws from tournament as Wimbledon winner returns trophy

Wimbledon is fast approaching, with the greatest tennis players in the world gearing up for two weeks of enthralling action. The iconic tournament in SW19 will run from Monday, June 29, until Sunday, July 12, meaning the main event is less than a week away.

Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek enter as the defending champions, while last year’s runner-up Carlos Alcaraz will miss out due to a persistent wrist injury. Serena Williams’ blockbuster return to singles action is another major talking point. With the main draw for both the men’s and women’s singles taking place this Friday morning, several top players have been fine-tuning their games through practice and exhibition matches. Now, Express Sport brings you a round-up of the biggest stories ahead of the Grand Slam.

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Djokovic pulls out

Novak Djokovic recently withdrew from an exhibition match with Karen Khachanov, raising concerns about his condition ahead of Wimbledon this summer. The Serbian legend has made a habit of taking part in the Giorgio Armani Tennis Classic each year in preparation for the third Grand Slam of 2026.

But the 24-time Grand Slam winner pulled out without any explanation ahead of Wednesday’s event. Khachanov faced and lost to American Martin Damm instead. Djokovic is the No. 7 seed at Wimbledon and is continuing his battle to defy age, but has not played since losing to Joao Fonseca in the third round of Roland Garros.

That indicates he is allowing his body time to properly recover and to reserve his form for the majors. However, he was spotted training at Wimbledon on Wednesday morning, suggesting he is still set to take part in next week's competition.

Sinner returns Wimbledon trophy

Sinner has symbolically returned the Wimbledon men's singles trophy to the All England Club as he prepares to defend his title. The Italian was handed the 139-year-old trophy on Centre Court a year ago for the first time in his career.

But the 24-year-old was not allowed to keep the original and had to hand it back - something he repeated this week in symbolic fashion. The All England Club spent 100 guineas to buy the current silver-gilt cup in 1887 and passed a new rule that same year.

The cup would remain the club's permanent property, and future winners would simply receive a replica. Once the tournament ends, the real trophy is returned to the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Museum.

The champion's name is engraved on the silverware immediately after they win and they can show it off at the Champions Dinner that evening. After they return it, replicas are then handed out. These were introduced in 1949 and are 13.5 inches tall, compared to the 18-inch real trophy.

Wimbledon protest launched

A group of top tennis stars have confirmed they will cut down their media duties for the first week of Wimbledon as a form of protest. Players such as Sinner, Coco Gauff and Aryna Sabalenka staged a similar demonstration during the French Open media day last month.

But they are set to take even more extreme measures at the All England Club, with the planned action running from Monday, June 29, to Sunday, July 5. Players have been demanding a larger share of revenue, distributed through prize money and contributions to welfare schemes, and a stronger voice in decisions that affect them.

The All England Club recently unveiled a whopping £10.7million, or 20 per cent, rise in prize money for this year's Championships, taking the total pot to £64.2m. But this elite player group has pointed out that this means prize money represents roughly a 14.4 per cent share of revenue, not the 22 per cent they are seeking.

They will therefore "limit their contractual media commitments at the tournament to 15 minutes – reflecting that Wimbledon currently pays slightly below 15 per cent of revenues to players as prize money – for the duration of the first week of the Championships."