Steffi Graf defeated six-time defending champion Martina Navratilova in a rematch of the previous year's final, 5–7, 6–2, 6–1 to win the ladies' singles tennis title at the 1988 Wimbledon Championships. It was her first Wimbledon singles title and fourth major title overall. It was also Graf's third step towards completing the first, and so far only Golden Slam in the history of tennis. The semifinal match between Chris Evert and Navratilova marked the last time they faced each other in a major, with Navratilova extending her lead in their head-to-head rivalry at majors to 14–8.

Seeds

Steffi Graf (champion) 🇺🇸 Martina Navratilova (final) 🇺🇸 Pam Shriver (semifinals) 🇺🇸 Chris Evert (semifinals) 🇦🇷 Gabriela Sabatini (fourth round) Helena Suková (quarterfinals) 🇧🇬 Manuela Maleeva-Fragnière (first round) Natasha Zvereva (fourth round) 🇦🇺 Hana Mandlíková (third round) 🇺🇸 Lori McNeil (third round) Claudia Kohde-Kilsch (withdrew) 🇺🇸 Zina Garrison (quarterfinals) Larisa Savchenko (fourth round) 🇧🇬 Katerina Maleeva (fourth round) Sylvia Hanika (third round) 🇺🇸 Mary Joe Fernández (fourth round) Claudia Kohde-Kilsch withdrew due to a knee injury. She was replaced in the draw by lucky loser Shaun Stafford.

Qualifying

Draw

Finals

Top half

Section 1

Section 2

Section 3

Section 4

Bottom half

Section 5

Section 6

Section 7

Section 8