Wimbledon is fast approaching and the players are looking to adapt quickly to the grass after the clay court season. The draw for the tournament was announced on Friday morning.
Novak Djokovic is the man to beat in men’s singles – despite being seeded number 2 behind Carlos Alcaraz – and is aiming for a record eighth title on center court. In women’s singles, Iga Swiatek is the best player in the world but her best result at Wimbledon is the fourth round in 2021.
When is Wimbledon?
Wimbledon starts on Monday July 3 and ends on Sunday July 16.
How to watch Wimbledon 2023 on TV in the UK
Live tennis will be shown on BBC One and iPlayer until 9pm the first week. Clare Balding takes over presenting duties from Sue Barker. Today at Wimbledon follows at 9pm daily on BBC Two and iPlayer, presented by Qasa Alom.
Every morning, Isa Guha will start coverage at 11 a.m. (10:30 a.m. on July 3). Former Wimbledon champions including John McEnroe, Martina Navratilova, Billie Jean King and Pat Cash will make the squad alongside Tim Henman, Tracy Austin, Annabel Croft, Johanna Konta, Anne Keothavong and Sania Mirza.
How to watch Wimbledon in the US
ESPN has the right to show the grand slam on grass in the United States. Coverage begins each day at 6 a.m. Eastern Time.
What is the Wimbledon draw?
The draw was announced Friday morning. Andy Murray takes on compatriot Ryan Peniston while British No. 1 Cameron Norrie takes on world No. 107.
In the women’s draw, three Britons face tough first-round matches against top seeds. UK No. 1 Katie Boulter plays Daria Saville.
Reigning men’s champion Novak Djokovic will face Argentine debutant Pedro Cachin in the first round, while world number 1 Carlos Alcaraz will face former top-30 player Jeremy Chardy, 36, who is ranked 534th.
Elena Rybakina will begin her Wimbledon title defense against American Shelby Rogers. The second seeded Aryna Sabalenka will face the world 82nd, Panna Udvardy of Hungary.
Who are the top seeds at Wimbledon?
Who received a wildcard for Wimbledon?
Five-time Wimbledon singles champion Venus Williams has received a wild card for the championships.
Williams, who played mixed doubles at the All England Club last year, has not played singles since 2021 but rolled back the years on Monday to beat Camila Giorgi at the Rothesay Classic in Birmingham days after her 43rd birthday.
Ten singles wild cards have been awarded to British male and female players, including Liam Broady and Katie Boulter, while Ukrainian Elina Svitolina will be involved after missing last year’s tournament while pregnant.
Svitolina made the last four at Wimbledon in 2021 and could meet more Russian and Belarus players in SW19. She was booed at Roland Garros after not shaking hands with Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka after her quarter-final exit.
Britons Jodie Burrage, Harriet Dart, Katie Swan and Heather Watson also received wildcards.
In men’s singles, Ryan Peniston received a wild card, along with fellow Brits Arthur Fery, Jan Choinski and George Loffhagen, the trio set to make their main draw debut at Wimbledon.
Belgium’s David Goffin, the world No. 124, received a wildcard following his run to the quarter-finals in 2022, where he lost in five sets to Britain’s No. 1 Cameron Norrie.
There is still another wild card to distribute for the women’s singles and two others for the men’s singles.
When is the Wimbledon final?
The men’s final will take place on Sunday July 16.
The women’s final will take place on Saturday 15 July.
What is the prize money of Wimbledon?
Wimbledon’s total prize pool is £44.7m, up 11.2% from 2022.
The men’s and women’s singles champions will each take home £2.35m and the runners-up will take home £1.175m.
The cash prizes for progression to previous rounds are as follows: first round (£55,000); second round (£85,000); third round (£131,000); Round of 16 (£207,000); quarter-finals (£340,000); semi-finals (£600,000).
Why doesn’t Emma Raducanu play at Wimbledon?
Emma Raducanu will miss Wimbledon after undergoing surgery on both hands and left ankle.
Who are the defending champions?
Last year, Novak Djokovic recovered from a set down in the final to beat Nick Kyrgios 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6.
Elena Rybakina won a first major singles title when she fought back to beat Ons Jabeur 3-6, 6-2, 6-2.
Latest odds?
Singles men
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Novak Djokovic 8/13
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Carlos Alcaraz 7/2
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Daniel Medvedev 10/1
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Jannik Sinner 12/1
single women
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Iga Swiatek 4/1
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Aryna Sabalenka 4/1
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Elena Rybakina 4/1
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Karolina Muchova 14/1
take advantage of these Wimbledon betting offers and free bets throughout the two weeks at SW19
Mirra Andreeva, 16, plows her way through qualifying
By Molly McElwee in Roehampton
Wimbledon qualifying takes place on a glorified court behind the National Tennis Centre. But among the small crowds thronging around, eating their packed lunches, Russian Mirra Andreeva zoomed by with a Netflix crew in her wake.
This year the Roehampton Community Sports Center has undergone a substantial facelift, with some stands added to the main courts and attendance has been good so far. But it’s a world away from glamor almost three miles at the All England Club.
Yet tennis’ talented newcomer Andreeva, who caused a stir at Roland Garros where she reached the third round, brought a similar touch of excitement to the proceedings here.
If not for the Wimbledon ban of Russian and Belarus players last year, 16-year-old Andreeva’s performance in Paris surely could have earned her a wildcard for the main draw.
But instead she plays her way to the All England Club in front of cameras filming the ‘Break Point’ documentary and must win three qualifying rounds to get to the hallowed grounds. She won her first qualifying round in a 6-3 6-1 thrashing of Spain’s Rosa Vicens Mas.
“We started working together from Paris,” Andreeva told reporters from the Netflix partnership, with a mellow microphone propped above her head off camera. “Honestly, I just do my thing and there they are. But I agree with that. I like the attention they give me.
It’s not a shame to play qualifying, especially as a young beginner. On Tuesday, two former finalists – Vera Zvonareva and Eugenie Bouchard – as well as former Australian Open champion Sophia Kenin were all in action as Bouchard collapsed.
Considering Andreeva had never played a match on grass before Tuesday, she said the Wimbledon wildcard snub was no bad thing. “Every game I play and win, I feel more confident on the pitch,” she told reporters. “In the first practice [on grass] I fell about three times so it was quite hard for me to get used to the grass. But as we can see, it’s going pretty well so far.
Andreeva has spent the past week training on the grass at Raynes Park with 14-year-old British talent Hannah Klugman, whom she hailed as a “quality” hitting partner. Although Klugman’s Wimbledon qualifying ended in a first-round loss on Tuesday, she is set to play the women’s event over the next fortnight. When play closes on Thursday, only 16 will take part in the main draw, where £55,000 in prize money is guaranteed.
Andreeva is expected to be one of them and hopes her 18-year-old sister Erika will also be there. Documenting their journey could prove a masterstroke for Netflix.
Elsewhere, Britain’s No. 1 Katie Boulter has insisted she feels well prepared for Wimbledon, despite losing 6-4, 7-5 to world No. 30 Petra Martic at Eastbourne on Tuesday.
Playing in high winds, Boulter had chances, but couldn’t take any of his five break points. While the experienced Martic scored only one break in each set.
Afterwards, Boulter told reporters, “I don’t think I’ve lost confidence in the last few weeks just because I’ve lost to higher-ranked players. I played seven matches on grass. I’m very happy with where I am. »
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