Ten to watch at Wimbledon: Carlos Alcaraz, Iga Swiatek and Jack Draper among stars lining up for All-England glory

Rafael Nadal is missing and Novak Djokovic battling to recover from knee surgery in time but a host of contenders remain.

Here, we pick out 10 hopefuls trying to follow in the footsteps of Carlos Alcaraz and Marketa Vondrousova.

Iga Swiatek

Swiatek has already proved herself as this generation’s clay court master, winning her fourth French Open title in five years. Grass, though, remains a work in progress for the 23-year-old Pole, despite her success at junior level. Swiatek showed promising signs last year before a quarter-final loss to Elina Svitolina and will look to continue a 19-match winning streak.

Coco Gauff

Gauff has left her teenage years behind and returns to the scene of her breakthrough as a grand slam champion having lifted the US Open trophy last year. She followed that up with semi-final appearances at the Australian Open and in Paris, losing to the eventual champion each time. The 20-year-old suffered a shock first-round loss at Wimbledon last year.

Aryna Sabalenka

Is this Sabalenka’s year to go all the way at the All England Club? The big-hitting Belarusian has a game built for grass but has fallen just short of reaching the final on her last two appearances. The 26-year-old powered her way to a second successive Australian Open title in January without dropping a set but is nursing a shoulder problem.

Mirra Andreeva

Andreeva only turned 17 in April but she has already racked up two grand slam fourth-round appearances and a semi-final, having beaten a poorly Sabalenka in the last eight at Roland Garros. The Russian, whose game is mature well beyond her years, will be seeded at a slam for the first time and will look to go further than last year’s run to the last 16.

Katie Boulter

Katie Boulter is a name no player will want to find in their section of the draw. The British number one has built brilliantly on her grass-court breakthrough last summer, winning a WTA Tour 500 title in San Diego and then successfully defending the trophy in Nottingham earlier this month. She will be seeded for the first time and will hope her powerful game can do some real damage.

Carlos Alcaraz

Alcaraz showed remarkably fast development on grass last summer, winning Queen’s and then his second grand slam title at Wimbledon, defeating Djokovic in a pulsating five-setter. The Spaniard, 21, added a first clay court slam title in Paris last month and is a man very much for the big occasion. Defeat by Jack Draper at Queen’s last week was a blow but only a minor setback.

Jannik Sinner

Sinner has been the man of 2024 so far, winning his first slam title at the Australian Open and usurping Djokovic as world number one. The 22-year-old Italian has lost only three matches all season and began his grass-court campaign with a first title on the surface in Halle. It would be no surprise if the final was another clash between the sport’s two biggest young stars.

Alexander Zverev

The German is yet to go beyond the fourth round at Wimbledon but, having recovered from ankle surgery two years ago, he is in the form of his life. Zverev reached his second grand slam final in Paris last month, losing agonisingly in five sets to Alcaraz. If he can find his feet on the grass, the 27-year-old could be a hard man to stop.

Tommy Paul

Winning the Queen’s Club title on Sunday lifted 27-year-old Paul above Taylor Fritz to become the new American number one. He has already showed his capabilities at the slams, reaching the semi-finals at the Australian Open last year, while his solid groundstrokes and brilliant athleticism make him a hard nut to crack.

Jack Draper

Paul edged out Draper in the quarter-finals at Queen’s, bringing to an end the best week of the 22-year-old’s career. The young British star claimed his first ATP Tour title in style in Stuttgart before earning his biggest win against Alcaraz on home soil. Just as encouragingly, he has stayed fit this year, and he will be seeded at a slam for the first time.