India, June 30 -- Wimbledon 2026 may be taking place on home soil, but it has been a difficult start for British tennis. The hosts suffered major setbacks even before the tournament began, with Emma Raducanu withdrawing due to a stress fracture and Jack Draper pulling out because of a long-standing arm injury. Their absences left the Championships without Britain's two biggest hopes.

The struggles continued once play got underway. Every British player who completed a first-round match on Monday exited the tournament, while Jack Pinnington Jones was on the verge of defeat after falling two sets behind before bad light halted his match against Brandon Nakashima. Although most of the British players were not expected to challenge for the ti...