dyton mupawaenda
NOVAK DJOKOVIC is targeting more tennis history when he leads the star names at a Wimbledon where Andy Murray is aiming to roll back the years on the 10th anniversary of his first title.
Serbia’s Djokovic (36) goes for a record-equalling 24th Grand Slam victory and an eighth Wimbledon win to match Roger Federer’s men’s record.
With Rafael Nadal injured, Djokovic is one of the few iconic names left in the draws, although Britain’s Murray and American Venus Williams (43) are notable former champions who will be present.
Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz is the men’s world number one after winning the Queen’s title last week, leading the next generation of ATP Tour stars trying to topple Djokovic.
British men’s number one Cameron Norrie is aiming to replicate last year’s stunning run to the semi-finals, while Katie Boulter leads the home contingent in the women’s singles after a successful summer, where she has reached a career-high ranking.
Boulter is the new British women’s number one, after replacing 2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu, who is missing Wimbledon after surgeries on wrist and ankle injuries.
The dominant trio on the WTA Tour this year — Kazakh defending champion Elena Rybakina, Polish top seed Iga Swiatek and Belarusian second seed Aryna Sabalenka — are expected to be the women to beat.
Sabalenka is one of the most high-profile players back at the All England Club this year after the ban on Russian and Belarusian competitors was lifted.
Ranking points — stripped by the ATP and WTA in response to the ban — have been reinstated, while Wimbledon organisers have increased security measures after Just Stop Oil activists interrupted several sporting events.
Here are the main talking points from one of the highlights of the British sporting summer, which starts tomorrow.
Who can stop Djokovic?
Shortly after Djokovic won a record-equalling 23rd men’s major title by clinching the French Open, the Serb warned his younger rivals he was far from finished.
“The journey is still not over. If I’m winning Slams, why even think about ending the career that already has been going for 20 years?” he said.
“I still feel motivated and inspired to play the best tennis in these tournaments.
“These are the ones that count the most in the history of our sport,” said the Serb.
Having won the past four titles in SW19, and not lost a completed match there since 2016, Djokovic is seen as the favourite to lift the trophy again.
The seven-time champion could equal Margaret Court’s all-time record of 24 Grand Slam singles titles and tie Federer’s mark of eight men’s singles wins at the All England Club.
Djokovic has cut back his schedule at tour level in recent years in a bid to peak at the right time for the four majors.
The strategy is working. With victory at Roland Garros, Djokovic has won six of the past eight majors he has played.
He again decided not to compete in a grass-court event before Wimbledon, instead playing an exhibition at the Hurlingham Club last week.
Alcaraz, 20, is the man considered his likeliest challenger and proved his game suits the grass courts when he won the Queen’s title, albeit without facing someone of Djokovic’s calibre.
Australia’s Nick Kyrgios lost to Djokovic in last year’s final and is always a threat on grass with his thunderous serve, although he has played only one tournament this year because of a knee injury that required surgery.
Russian third seed Daniil Medvedev has never gone beyond the fourth round, while Norwegian fourth seed Casper Ruud has won only one main-draw match at Wimbledon.
Will the “big three” continue to dominate?
The emerging “big three” on the women’s tour — Swiatek, Rybakina and Sabalenka — have won the last five majors between them.
Swiatek (22) has only reached the fourth round once, in 2021, but warmed up by reaching a grass-court semi-final in Bad Homburg.
However, the French Open and US Open champion pulled out of Friday’s match against Italy’s Lucia Bronzetti with gastrointestinal illness.
Rybakina, who uses her thumping serve to good effect on the grass, has also struggled physically and withdrew from Eastbourne last week.
The third seed said she was still recovering from a virus that caused her to withdraw from the French Open, although she was well enough to practise with Australian Open champion Sabalenka on Centre Court on Friday.
Sabalenka reached the Wimbledon semi-finals in 2021, but was not allowed to compete last year after the All England Club placed the sanction on Russian and Belarusian players in response to the war in Ukraine.
Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur, last year’s beaten finalist, is still trying to recapture her best form after a calf injury, while Czech Karolina Muchova, who lost to Swiatek in the Roland Garros final, could pose a threat on the grass.
American Coco Gauff is always seen as a contender at the majors and reached the Eastbourne semi-finals, while Czech two-time champion Petra Kvitova could also be in the mix.
Can Murray still be a contender?
In 2013, Murray achieved British sporting immortality when he beat Djokovic in a pulsating final to become a rare home men’s champion.
The Scot, then aged 26, became the first British man to win the title in 77 years, adding a second title in 2016 by beating Milos Raonic. Since then, Murray’s career has been derailed by a serious hip injury and resurrected, thanks to a resurfacing surgery that left him with a metal cap in the joint. Murray feared the operation would end his playing days, yet he returned later in 2019 and has shown this summer that he still knows how to win on grass courts.
Winning back-to-back Challenger titles in Surbiton and Nottingham — the level below the main ATP Tour — started the British summer swing positively.
Murray suffered a chastening defeat when he stepped up in class at Queen’s, losing to eventual runner-up De Minaur in the first round, but remains bullish about his chances at Wimbledon.
“I think I do have a good chance; I don’t think there are many players in the draw who have the experience that I have on grass courts,” said Murray, who missed out on a seeding after his early Queen’s exit.
“Granted, it is going to be extremely difficult to get to the latter stages again, but I do believe I can do it. I’m in the right place physically and mentally right now.”
Murray plays compatriot Ryan Peniston in the first round and the pair are among eight British players in the men’s draw. — BBC
Online Reporter