Wimbledon is right around the corner and defending champions of the gentlemen’s singles and the women’s singles, Novak Djokovic and Elena Rybakina will begin their campaigns as they take on Pedro Cachin and Shelby Rogers respectively.
Top-seeded Carlos Alcaraz will begin his quest for a very first Wimbledon title as he gets his campaign at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club with his curtain raiser against 36-year-old Frenchman Jeremy Chardy.
Alcaraz climbed to the No.1 spot in the world of men’s tennis in the latest rankings following his title triumph at the prestigious Queen’s Club Championships in the grass swing before the onset of SW19.
The Spaniard will look to add to the solitary Major title he has to his name, after emerging victorious in the 2022 edition of the US Open.
Two-time Wimbledon winner Andy Murray will take on Ryan Peniston in his first hurdle in the 2023 season, while Dominic Thiem is slated to take on Greek star Stefanos Tsitsipas.
The maverick Australia Nick Kyrgios, who reached the finals of the previous edition at the AELTC is set to open his run at the grass-court major against Belgian David Goffin.
Djokovic, who clinched a record 23rd Grand Slam title with his conquest of the trophy at the Roland Garros earlier in June, took the Numero Uno position among the gentlemen before Alcaraz moved past the Serbian after the 36-year-old opted not to play any warm-up tournaments ahead of the Wimbledon this year.
Women’s holder Rybakina, who made the switch to represent Kazakhstan despite being born in Russia, claimed the title amid controversy over the inclusion of Russian and Belarusian players in the previous edition of the tournament.
Wimbledon opted not to permit the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes citing the involvement of their nations in the war against Ukraine. The move forced the tennis authorities to scrap the ranking points the traditional major offered.
However, tennis players from the countries will be able to take part in the upcoming edition of the tournament as neutral athletes.
The 24-year-old Rybakina will start her title defence against American Rogers, while top-ranked Iga Swiatek will open her campaign against China’s Zhu Lin.
Venus Williams will take on Ukrainian Elina Svitolina in her first-round game, while Sofia Kenin will play Coco Gauff in an All-American game between the youngsters.
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