Wimbledon, the most prestigious tournament in the tennis world, begins
Main draw matches at Wimbledon, one of the oldest and most prestigious tournaments in the tennis world, will begin with matches played tomorrow.
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The main draw matches of the third grand slam tournament of the tennis season, Wimbledon, will begin tomorrow in London, the capital of England.
Wimbledon, one of the four most important tournaments of the tennis season alongside the Australian Open, French Open (Roland Garros), and US Open, will be organized this year from July 1 to 14.
The All England Lawn Tennis Club in London will host the matches of Wimbledon, which was first held in 1877, for the 137th time.
The total prize money at Wimbledon has reached the highest level in the organization's history at 50 million pounds. Athletes who become champions in the singles categories will each earn 2.7 million pounds in prize money.
DJOKOVIC'S STATUS UNCERTAIN
Whether Djokovic, who suffered a torn meniscus in his right knee at the French Open and underwent surgery on June 5, will participate in the tournament is of great importance for both himself and his opponents.
The Serbian tennis player, who arrived in London and practiced on Centre Court on Thursday with world number 1 Italian Jannik Sinner, also attended the draw ceremony on Friday.
If 37-year-old Djokovic, who has won 4 of the 5 finals he has played in the tournament over the last 5 years, reaches his 25th career victory on July 14, he will surpass Margaret Court and become the sole holder of the title of "the tennis player with the most grand slam tournament wins in history."
The Serbian tennis player will also equal the record for the most Wimbledon titles held by a male tennis player, currently held by Roger Federer with 8 wins.
If Djokovic withdraws from the tournament before the first-day schedule is announced, according to the rules, the 5th seed Russian Daniil Medvedev will take the Serbian player's place, and the 17th seed Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime will take Medvedev's place.
If the Serbian player withdraws after the first-day schedule is announced, one of the lucky losers from the qualifiers will take his place.
In the men's singles draw, 1st seed Jannik Sinner, defending champion Carlos Alcaraz (3), Russian Daniil Medvedev (5), and Norwegian Casper Ruud (8) are in one half of the main draw; Djokovic (2), German Alexander Zverev (4), Russian Andrey Rublev (6), and Polish player Hubert Hurkacz (8) are in the other half.
SWIATEK SEEKS HER FIRST TITLE
In the women's category, Polish player Iga Swiatek, who has finished the last two years as world number 1, will take to the court in southwest London for her first Wimbledon title and the 6th grand slam of her career.
The 23-year-old Swiatek, whose game is considered weaker on grass, has not yet been able to show the performance she wanted at Wimbledon following Roland Garros, where she has been champion for the last 3 years. The Polish tennis player has only been able to reach the quarterfinals at the tournament.
At Wimbledon, where different names have won the last 7 finals, other prominent names for the championship include the last two years' finalist, Tunisian Ons Jabeur (10); world number 2 American Coco Gauff, who played in the semifinals of the last two grand slam tournaments and lost to the champions (Sabalenka and Swiatek); and Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka, who started this year with an Australian Open championship just like last year.
In the main draw, Iga Swiatek (1), Elena Rybakina (4), Jessica Pegula (5), and defending champion Marketa Vondrousova (6) are in the top half; Coco Gauff (2), Aryna Sabalenka (3), Jasmine Paolini (7), and Qinwen Zheng (8) are in the bottom half.
NADAL PREFERS THE OLYMPICS
Spanish tennis player Nadal, who has only participated in the French Open among the last 5 grand slam tournaments due to injury and bid farewell to Paris in the first round, has decided not to participate in Wimbledon.
38-year-old Nadal, who has 22 grand slam titles in his career, noted that he will compete in the Paris 2024 Olympics and that continuing his preparations on clay would be better for his performance.
FEDERER AND NAVRATILOVA WON THE MOST
At Wimbledon, Swiss player Roger Federer holds the record in men's singles with 8 titles, while American Martina Navratilova holds the record in women's singles with 9 titles.
The athletes with the most wins in singles are as follows:
Men:
Roger Federer (Switzerland) - 8 times
William Renshaw (Great Britain) - 7
Pete Sampras (USA) - 7
Novak Djokovic (Serbia) - 7
Women:
Martina Navratilova (USA) - 9
Helen Wills Moody (USA) - 8
Steffi Graf (Germany) - 7
Serena Williams (USA) - 7
Dorothea Lambert Chambers (England) - 7
WINNERS OF THE LAST 10 YEARS
Men:
2013 - Andy Murray (Great Britain)
2014 - Novak Djokovic (Serbia)
2015 - Novak Djokovic (Serbia)
2016 - Andy Murray (Great Britain)
2017 - Roger Federer (Switzerland)
2018 - Novak Djokovic (Serbia)
2019 - Novak Djokovic (Serbia)
2021 - Novak Djokovic (Serbia)
2022 - Novak Djokovic (Serbia)
2023 - Carlos Alcaraz (Spain)
Women:
2013 - Marion Bartoli (France)
2014 - Petra Kvitova (Czechia)
2015 - Serena Williams (USA)
2016 - Serena Williams (USA)
2017 - Garbine Muguruza (Spain)
2018 - Angelique Kerber (Germany)
2019 - Simona Halep (Romania)
2021 - Ashleigh Barty (Australia)
2022 - Elena Rybakina (Kazakhstan)
2023 - Marketa Vondrousova (Czechia)