The 2026 Grand Slam season is now up and running following the conclusion of the Australian Open, which will be followed by the French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open.
Roland Garros arrives next in the busy calendar, where Carlos Alcaraz and Coco Gauff will be out to defend their titles from 2025.
Alcaraz has since added to his Grand Slam title tally, winning the US Open later that year and now the 2026 Australian Open.
Before his success in both New York and Paris, the ATP superstar was involved in two different events that really helped kick off the respective Grand Slams.
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Wimbledon in danger of being left behind by Australian Open and US Open
The US Open introduced a revamped mixed doubles format, where Alcaraz and Emma Raducanu were among a number of high-profile pairings.
And the Spaniard was then involved in the Australian Open One Point Slam, where amateur Jordan Smith beat the professionals to win A$1million.
Wimbledon is now in real danger of being left behind by the US Open and the Australian Open, which have rapidly become exciting, fan-led, three-week products.
Huge volumes of fans proved the moves were successful, with Wimbledon in stark contrast having very little to offer outside of the two weeks in London.
Its grand expansion plans would help in that regard, but importantly Wimbledon chiefs would likely need to break away from tradition if they want to maximise revenue.
Wimbledon has already shown it is open to breaking tradition
Maintaining tradition has clearly been a central strategy for Wimbledon over the years, undoubtedly helping create the spectacle that it is today.
But keeping up with the times is also hugely important in the modern era, as Wimbledon proved it is more than willing to do just last year.
Joining the other Grand Slams and breaking a 147-year tradition in the process, Wimbledon replaced line judges with electronic line calling in 2025.
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Both modernisation and willingness to change are, therefore, clearly possible at the All England Club, but it will be intriguing to see how far those in power go.
Importantly, Wimbledon shouldn’t simply copy the One Point Slam, but it does have to seriously consider thinking about enhancing its product one way or another.
That is especially amid the big pressure from the other major tournaments, namely the Australian Open and the US Open.
