When is Wimbledon, where to watch it and can Novak Djokovic win first slam of the year?
- Everything you need to know as tennis enters the grass court season – which means the greatest players flocking to London
The third tennis major of the year is nearly upon us as the best of the sport flock to London for the grass courts of Wimbledon.
First held in 1877, it is the oldest of the four grand slams and is the only one to include a dress code: players must don all-white outfits.
So, as we prepare for the only grass-court major of the year, here is everything you need to know.
When is Wimbledon happening?
The tournament begins on July 1 with the women’s final on July 13 and the men’s on July 14.
Action will take place at the All England Club with its famous Centre Court, where the finals will be held. The club has a capacity of 15,000 and has been used as the tournament’s venue since 1922.
Where can I watch Wimbledon?
In Hong Kong, Malaysia and Singapore, you can follow the action on SPOTV, while viewers in the United States need to tune into ESPN and The Tennis Channel.
Who will be competing?
The top 32 seeds enter the main draw automatically to avoid meeting in the early rounds.
Australian Open champion Jannik Sinner is the men’s No 1 while Novak Djokovic, who comes into Wimbledon having not won a major this year for only the second time since 2018, is at No 2.
Reigning champion and French Open winner Carlos Alcaraz rounds off the top three.
China’s Zhang Zhizhen, at No 32, is the first Chinese man ever to be seeded at a major.
On the women’s side, US and French Open champion Iga Świątek is the top seed. However, she has never progressed beyond the quarter-finals at the All England Club.
Coco Gauff is at No 2 but has yet to go beyond round four at Wimbledon, with two-time semi-finalist Aryna Sabalenka at No 3.
Reigning champion Marketa Vondrousova is seeded sixth, while China’s Zheng Qinwen is eighth.
Local hopes and notable players who have fallen down the rankings can be handed a wild card to gain entry.
Who are the favourites at Wimbledon?
Djokovic is seeking to equal Roger Federer’s men’s record of eight titles, and has played in the past five finals, winning the four before 2023.
However, he has yet to even reach a final in 2024. French Open champion and Wimbledon holder Alcaraz will be seen as his biggest threat, while Sinner will also be looking to go far.
Daniil Medvedev, who blew a two-set lead in the Australian Open final against Sinner, is the only other seeded player to have won a major, while French Open runner-up Alexander Zverev is also a contender.
Two-time winner Rafa Nadal announced he would not play at Wimbledon this year and would focus instead on the Paris Olympics.
Sabalenka and Świątek at the two big favourites on the women’s side, with Elena Rybakina (No 4) also fancied, alongside Gauff.
Rybakina (2022) is the only seeded woman to have won Wimbledon, while 2018 champion Angelique Kerber has been handed a wild card.
