LONDON (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:
* Wimbledon is held in London every year.
* Wimbledon is the only Grand Slam played on grass courts, which is the original surface of the sport. Grass courts tend to produce faster games and favour players with strong serve-and-volley skills.
* Since it is the oldest tennis tournament in the world, Wimbledon holds on to its traditions, including the all-white dress code for players.
* In the Royal Box on Centre Court, members of the British royal family and other dignitaries attend matches.
WHEN IS WIMBLEDON HAPPENING?
* This year’s Wimbledon runs from July 1 to July 14.
WHERE IS WIMBLEDON TAKING PLACE?
* 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 and has been the centrepiece of Wimbledon since it opened in 1922.
* Court One has a capacity of 12,345 while Court Two, nicknamed ‘Graveyard of Champions’, for its history of upsets, 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 gentlemen’s and ladies’ singles are based on world rankings.
* Australian Open Champion Jannik Sinner is the current men’s world number one.
* World number two Novak Djokovic will be looking to end his 2024 title drought after winning three of the four Grand Slams last year, as he hunts for a record-extending 25th major trophy.
* Reigning Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz, who won the French Open this year, is world number three.
* 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 2023, when she made the quarter-finals.
* Czech Republic’s Marketa Vondrousova is the defending women’s champion.
* Organisers also hand out wildcards for local hopes and notable players who have dropped down the rankings.
TOP-RANKED PLAYERS
MEN
1 Jannik Sinner (Italy)
2 Novak Djokovic (Serbia)
3 Carlos Alcaraz (Spain)
4 Alexander Zverev (Germany)
5 Daniil Medvedev (Russia)
6 Andrey Rublev (Russia)
7 Hubert Hurkacz (Poland)
8 Casper Ruud (Norway)
9 Alex de Minaur (Australia)
10 Grigor Dimitrov (Bulgaria)
WOMEN
1 Iga Swiatek (Poland)
2 Coco Gauff (United States)
3 Aryna Sabalenka (Belarus)
4 Elena Rybakina (Kazakhstan)
5 Jessica Pegula (United States)
6 Marketa Vondrousova (Czech Republic)
7 Jasmine Paolini (Italy)
8 Qinwen Zheng (China)
9 Maria Sakkari (Greece)
10 Ons Jabeur (Tunisia)
HOW TO WATCH WIMBLEDON ON TV:
* The full list of official broadcasters of Wimbledon in each country can be found here.
* Europe: Eurosport, BBC, Prime Video Germany, Movistar+ Spain, Ziggo Netherland, SportKlub, PolsatSport and TRT.
* Africa: Canal Plus+, SuperSport and beIN Sports.
* Middle East: beIN Sports.
* Australia and New Zealand: Nine, Stan Sport, TVNZ1/TVNZ+ and Tennis TV.
* Southeast Asia: SPOTV/ SPOTV 2/ and SPOTV NOW.
* China : IQIYI, Shanghai TV Great Sports and CCTV
* Asia Pacific & Oceania: NHK, WOWOW Japan, tvN Sports (Linear), TVING (OTT-Digital), Astro, Digicel.
* India & subcontinent: Disney+ Hotstar and Star Sports Network.
* Latin America & Caribbean: ESPN and TSN/RDS.
* North America: ESPN, Tennis Channel, TSN/RDS.
* U.S.: ESPN International, TSN/RDS and The Tennis Channel.
(Reporting by Shifa Jahan in Kolkata, editing by Ed Osmond)
Disclaimer: This report is auto generated from the Reuters news service. ThePrint holds no responsibilty for its content.