(Reuters) – Wimbledon is a grasscourt Grand Slam managed by the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC). The tournament was first held in 1877. Here is what you need to know about the year’s third major after the Australian Open and French Open:
WHEN IS WIMBLEDON HAPPENING?
* This year’s Wimbledon tournament runs from July 3-16.
WHERE IS WIMBLEDON TAKING PLACE?
* Wimbledon is held in London every year.
* The three main showcourts at the All England Club are Centre Court, Court One and Court Two. Unlike other Grand Slam venues, the All England Club does not name its courts after former players.
* Centre Court is the largest with a capacity of nearly 15,000 spectators.
* Court One has a capacity of 12,345 while Court Two, nicknamed ‘Graveyard of Champions’, seats 4,000.
WHO IS INVOLVED IN WIMBLEDON?
* The top-ranked players automatically enter the main draw with 32 seeds announced prior to the draw to ensure they do not meet in the early rounds. From the 2021 Championships, seedings for the men’s and ladies’ singles are based on world rankings.
* Novak Djokovic is the men’s world number one after claiming a 23rd Grand Slam title at the French Open. He will be defending his 2022 title.
* Poland’s Iga Swiatek, the French Open and U.S. Open champion, is the women’s world number one. Swiatek’s best finish at Wimbledon was in 2021, when she made the fourth round.
* Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina is the defending women’s champion.
* Organisers also hand out wild cards for local hopes and notable players who have dropped down the rankings.
* Russian and Belarusian players will be allowed to take part in Wimbledon this year.
Players from the two countries were banned from last year’s tournament following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, which Moscow calls a “special military operation.”
Belarus is a staging area for the invasion.
TOP RANKED PLAYERS
MEN
1 Novak Djokovic (Serbia)
2 Carlos Alcaraz (Spain)
3 Daniil Medvedev (Russia)
4 Casper Ruud (Norway)
5 Stefanos Tsitsipas (Greece)
6 Holger Rune (Denmark)
7 Andrey Rublev (Russia)
8 Taylor Fritz (U.S.)
9 Jannik Sinner (Italy)
10 Frances Tiafoe (U.S.)
WOMEN
1 Iga Swiatek (Poland)
2 Aryna Sabalenka (Belarus)
3 Elena Rybakina (Kazakhstan)
4 Caroline Garcia (France)
5 Jessica Pegula (U.S.)
6 Ons Jabeur (Tunisia)
7 Coco Gauff (U.S.)
8 Maria Sakkari (Greece)
9 Petra Kvitova (Czech Republic)
10 Beatriz Haddad Maia (Brazil)
WHERE TO WATCH WIMBLEDON ON TV
The full list of official broadcasters of Wimbledon in each country can be found here.
* Africa: Canal Plus International
* Europe: Eurosport, BBC, Saran Sport
* Asia Pacific & Oceania: Nine & Stan Sport, Sky, Digicel, TV Wan
* India & subcontinent: Star Sports
* Latin America & Caribbean: ESPN Latin America
* Middle East: beIN Sports
* North America: ESPN, Tennis Channel, TSN/RDS
(Compiled by Aadi Nair in Nashik, India)
