The 136th Wimbledon Championships kicks off today on the grass courts of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club. The big news: the return of the Russian and Belarusian players, who were banned from the tournament last year due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. It’s a big development for Daniil Medvedev, Aryna Sabelenka and Victoria Azarenka, all of whom are seeking out their first Wimbledon title.
So who are the favorites this year? First, there is some possible history in the making. Although Carlos Alcaraz is currently ranked first in the world and and planted number-one there, he isn’t the favorite on the men’s side. That would be Novak Djokovic, who has won the Wimbledon title for the last four years and three times before that. If Djokovic wins this year, aside from adding to his already historic 23 Grand Slam titles, he will tie Roger Federer’s record of eight Wimbledon titles and equal Federer and Borg’s shared record of five straight championships. And, as a bonus, Djokovic would retake the number-one ranking from Alcaraz. However, if Medvedev wins the title and Djokovic and Alcaraz falter early, Medvedev becomes the new best player in the world.
Of the top two, Djokovic has a slightly easier draw. Alcaraz, meanwhile, has to beat out a hand of players that may include Alexander Zverv, Alex De Minaur and Francis Tiafoe, among others. Given that Alcaraz has spent a relatively small amount of time playing on a grass court, he faces quite the battle. Similar to his friend and competitor Rafael Nadal, you don’t count him out. But let’s still count on Medvedev, Casper Ruud and Jannik Sinner to make it through to the later rounds – though Ruud and Sinner will likely have to battle each other to reach the quarters.
On the women’s side, while there’s not much history happening here, there is an abundance of riches. At first look, there seem to be five or six of the top-20-ranked players who might take the title. Similar to the men’s side, however, the number-one-ranked (in this case, Iga Swiatek) would appear to have a hard road in front of them. While Swiatek doesn’t seem natural and confident on grass (she’s never made it past the fourth round at Wimbledon), she’s constantly improving, and her mental game is great.
On the other side of the draw, however, is where things get interesting. The defending champion (the third-ranked player) Elena Rybankina; the second-ranked and fierce Sabelenka; the two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova, ranked ninth but playing with renewed vigor as of late; and a round of other challengers, including Americans Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula, Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur and Brazil’s Beatriz Haddad Mai. Though it’s difficult to imagine anyone from this later group stealing the title, any of them are capable of playing the spoiler to almost anyone they face.
The world’s number-one ranking is at play here, too. If either Sabelenka or Swiatek make the final, they become the world’s best. If we’re lucky, we will see the two players face each other for the trophy.
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