WIMBLEDON/WASHINGTON, July 1, 2023 (by Michael Dickens)
With the draw of the 136th edition of Wimbledon complete, giving both players and fans a roadmap to follow during the upcoming British fortnight, the Championships begin fresh on Monday with plenty of intrigue and excitement. The women’s singles final is Saturday, July 15; the men’s singles final is Sunday, July 16.
The most prestigious event in professional tennis is rich in history and tradition – it dates back to 1877 for the men and 1884 for the women. This is the 55th Wimbledon of the Open Era, which began in 1968, and saw the introduction of prize money. Due to the pandemic, Wimbledon was dark in 2020. Last year, the Championships became a 14-day tournament with play added on Middle Sunday, which long had been a day of rest.
World No.1 @carlosalcaraz is the first Gentlemen’s Singles top seed at The Championships not named Djokovic, Federer, Murray or Nadal since 2003 😳#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/SfcBXgENfV
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) June 28, 2023
This year’s Wimbledon has World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz as the top seed as he goes for his second major crown after winning the 2022 US Open. Last year’s winner, No. 2 Novak Djokovic, who won his fourth straight Wimbledon title and seventh overall, is seeded second, Daniil Medvedev is No. 3, and Casper Ruud is No. 4.
The women’s top seed is Iga Swiatek, who a year ago brought a 35-match winning streak to SW19. A winner of this year’s French Open, Swiatek is chasing after her second straight major title in a month and fifth overall. Last year’s titlist, Elena Rybakina, has been struggling with the lingering effects of a virus that has limited her play on grass to just two matches this year. She is seeded third. Australian Open champion Aryna Sabelenka is seeded No. 2, and Jessica Pegula is No. 4.
On this day in 1997, a 17-year-old @Venuseswilliams first took to the court at #Wimbledon ⏪
The rest, as they say, is history. pic.twitter.com/I89NwxIPx5
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) June 28, 2023
There will also be enduring super stars like five-time Wimbledon ladies’ champion Venus Williams, now 43, who received a wild card entry after first debuting back in 1997, as well as British icon Andy Murray, whose passion to compete on grass is unquestioned.
The seven-time major champion Williams will face fellow wild card and former World No. 3 Elina Svitolina in the opening round – perhaps on Centre Court? – in what no doubt will be an emotional first-round match. Meanwhile, Murray, a two-time gentlemen’s champion won a couple of ATP Challenger Tour titles on grass in Surbiton and Nottingham and strung together ten straight match victories earlier this month in preparation for another major title run. He will be opposed by fellow British Ryan Peniston.
Wimbledon men’s singles draw (pdf view) pic.twitter.com/hxZMpKVWiq
— Michal Samulski (@MichalSamulski) June 30, 2023
Speaking of match-ups, on Friday morning, Championships Referee Gerry Armstrong and Championships Referee Designate Denise Parnell oversaw the draws in the brand-new Media Theatre on the roof of the All England Club Broadcast Center. A couple of things to point out: The seven-time champion Djokovic, who is seeded second, will begin his bid for major No. 24 Monday afternoon at 1:30 p.m. on Centre Court against No. 67 Pedro Canchin of Argentina, and there will be no women’s final rematch on Centre Court. That’s because Rybakina and Ons Jabeur both landed in the third quarter and could meet in the quarterfinals.
While a lot can happen over the next two weeks to bust the men’s bracket, for now, Djokovic’s path to another Wimbledon title could include matchups with Stan Wawrinka in the third round and 2021 semifinalist Hubert Hurkacz in the fourth round. From there, potential quarterfinalists could include seventh seed Andrey Rublev, recent Halle champion Alexander Bublik or Nick Kyrgios, a surprise finalist last year, who has been limited to one match this season due to injury.
Wimbledon women’s singles draw (pdf view) pic.twitter.com/ZKtz25aKUY
— Michal Samulski (@MichalSamulski) June 30, 2023
The No. 1 seed Alcaraz will begin his Wimbledon journey against French veteran Jeremy Chardy. He could meet fellow 20-year-old Holger Rune in a blockbuster quarterfinal match in the second week.
On the women’s side, the top-seeded Swiatek, who is a former junior winner at Wimbledon, begins her title bid against world No. 33 Zhu Lin of China hoping to get beyond the four round for the first time. She pulled out ahead of her semifinal in Bad Homburg Friday, citing “fever and possible food poisoning.”
Meanwhile, Rybakina and Jabeur are part of a jammed-packed quarter that includes two-time Wimbledon champ Petra Kvitova, who won a tune-up last week in Berlin; 2021 finalist Karolina Pliskova, Jelena Ostapenko, recent French Open semifinalist Beatriz Haddad Maia and last year’s Wimbledon semifinalist Tatjana Maria. Rybakina opens against American Shelby Rogers and the sixth-seeded Jabeur faces Magdalena Frech.
A year ago at the Championships
Elena Rybakina (photo: Jürgen Hasenkopf)
Djokovic won last year’s men’s final over Nick Kyrgios, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (3), for his 21st Grand Slam singles title, which moved him ahead of Roger Federer and placed him one behind Rafael Nadal. It was a fitting way for the Serbian great to celebrate his eighth wedding anniversary with his wife, Jelena. His two young children, Stefan and Tara, were there, too.
Meanwhile, Rybakina, presented herself as a stoic figure throughout the Championships. When she beat Jabeur, Tunisia’s Minister of Happiness, 3-6, 6-2, 6-0, to win it all, it completed an unprecedented finish for Rybakina.
Looking ahead to this year’s Wimbledon
While Alcaraz is generating a lot of buzz for garnering the No. 1 men’s seed, it’s worth noting that Djokovic – a seven-time Wimbledon champion – holds an 86-10 match record lifetime and comes into this year’s Championships sporting a 28-match win streak, which includes winning four straight Wimbledon men’s titles.
Additionally, as Djokovic begins his 18th SW19 campaign, should he win an eighth title in two weeks, it would draw the 36-year-old Serbian great even with Federer for the most Wimbledon gentlemen’s singles titles. It would also be his 24th career major title, which would further distance himself from Federer (20) and Nadal (22).
The journey to the #Wimbledon final, as projected by @IBM’s AI Draw Analysis…
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) June 30, 2023
“I don’t want to say that I am the greatest, because I feel – I’ve said it before – it’s disrespectful towards all the great champions in different eras of our sport that was played in completely different way than it is played today,” Djokovic said in his press conference after winning Roland Garros last month. “So, I feel like each great champion of his own generation has left a huge mark, a legacy, and paved the way for us to be able to play this sport in such a great stage worldwide.”
On the women’s side, Rybakina will try to prove that winning last year’s ladies’ singles crown was no fluke. In a recent interview published on the Wimbledon website, the 24-year-old Kazakh star reflected upon her calm reaction to winning her first major 12 months ago: “Of course inside there’s a lot of emotions, but I’m not showing it so much on court. But after, I just realized what happened with all the media attention, which I didn’t expect. It was too much for me. I was shocked.”
Our defending champions’ first round draw 👇
• Elena Rybakina vs Shelby Rogers
• Novak Djokovic vs Pedro Cachin#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/nJC6KZfFwF— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) June 30, 2023
By the numbers
• Wimbledon is Iga Swiatek‘s least-successful major tournament. Her career record at Wimbledon is 5-3.
• If Carlos Alcaraz – or any one besides Novak Djokovic – wins the Wimbledon men’s title this year, it would break a streak of 19 straight Wimbledon titles won by Djokovic, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray.
• This year, the total prize money for Wimbledon has risen to nearly £45 million (about $56.5 million U.S. dollars), which is more than 10 percent higher than 2022 and more than 15 percent higher than in 2019, the last pre-pandemic edition of the Championships. The men’s and women’s singles champions will each receive £2.35 million ($3 million).
“Quotable …”
“I didn’t feel confident at all. I just tried to do my thing. I thought ‘you have no expectations. Just play. It’s your first grass event. It’s already perfect you managed to get here.’ I just tried to fight. Now, I’m here in Main Draw.”
– Mirra Andreeva, 16, of Russia, on qualifying for Wimbledon. Andreeva, who is ranked 102nd, will face No. 73 Wang Xiyu of China in the first round.
The Order of Play for Day One at #Wimbledon has been confirmed…
Full schedule 👇
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 1, 2023
