Just five weeks after the world’s top players battled on the red clay of Roland-Garros, they’ll now refocus their attention to the green grass of the All England Lawn Tennis Club for The Championships Wimbledon. The main draw kicks off on Monday, July 3, 2023 at 11:00 am London time (6:00 am ET in the U.S.). This year’s supreme grass court event concludes on Sunday, July 16, 2023, with the men’s singles final headlining.
Let’s take a look at some of the big questions and fine details so you can get the most out of this Wimbledon fortnight.
How to Watch Wimbledon
In the U.S., ESPN and ESPN+ are the main avenues for catching matches throughout the next two weeks of Wimbledon. On the weekend, be sure to check ABC, because they are picking up certain blocks of coverage, and Tennis Channel will replay some of the day’s best matches. Get the full rundown over at Tennis Watchers.
If you’re in the U.K., BBC One and BBC Two will take primary duties, with Eurosport1, Discovery+ and Eurosport's on-demand streaming platform intermittently offering coverage.
And if you’re at work and can’t sneak a stream, Wimbledon Radio is outstanding.
Three Big Questions
1) Has Carlos Alcaraz adapted his game enough to be a challenge to Novak Djokovic? The world number one might have the most adaptable game across surfaces than anybody besides Djokovic himself. But thanks to the pandemic, the 20 year-old has only two Wimbledons under his belt thus far. Alcaraz remarked that his movement will be the key to improving on grass, but so might being able to take some topspin off his forehand.
2) What in the world is happening in the women’s draw? This isn’t even hyperbole; it’s genuine confusion. The top players have had a strange run up to Wimbledon. Defending champ Elena Rybakina has been a bit MIA ever since withdrawing from the third round of Roland-Garros with a virus that has mostly kept her down. Iga Swiatek entered just one grass warm-up tournament and withdrew with food poisoning. World number two Aryna Sabalenka has won just one grass court match going into Wimbledon. The same goes for Ons Jabeur, last year’s finalist. Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula and Caroline Garcia all seemed solid in the warm-up tournaments, but not necessarily spectacular. Petra Kvitova’s game is rising just in time for the major she’s won twice.
3) What is going on with Nick Kyrgios? Between his choice of schedule and a knee injury, Nick Kyrgios has played exactly one match this season — and that was a loss to Yibing Wu on grass at Stuttgart earlier this month. But the 2022 Wimbledon surprise finalist could conceivably do it again, if he’s in shape. We’ll find out as he faces David Goffin of Belgium in the first round. But there are a couple others who want to know where Kyrgios’s game is: first round doubles opponents and #3 seeds Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury.
The Draws
It’s Wimbledon. So, let’s face it, there’s no reason to believe the majority of the seedings will hold up. But let’s look at the quarterfinal match-ups to see who is where in the draw.
Women’s quarterfinals:
1 Iga Swiatek vs. 7 Coco Gauff
4 Jessica Pegula vs. 5 Caroline Garcia
6 Ons Jabeur vs. 3 Elena Rybakina
8 Maria Sakkari vs. 2 Aryna Sabalenka
Men’s quarterfinals:
1 Carlos Alcaraz vs. 6 Holger Rune
3 Daniil Medvedev vs. 5 Stefanos Tsitsipas
8 Jannik Sinner vs. 4 Casper Ruud
7 Andrey Rublev vs. 2 Novak Djokovic
You can get the full Wimbledon draws here.
Unfortunate First Rounds
Whether it’s fellow countrypeople or fan favorites facing off, here are some first round matches that we simply wish weren’t happening.
At the absolute top of the list and in its own super “How In The Hell Are We Supposed To Live With The Results?!?” category is Venus Williams vs. Elina Svitolina. It’s such a big deal that Wimbledon officials put the match on Centre Court instead of, say, number one seed Iga Swiatek.
Here are some other devastating first rounders sure to upset a tennis fan or two:
- Matteo Berrettini vs. Lorenzo Sonego
- Alejandro Davidovich Fokina vs. Arthur Fils
- Ryan Peniston vs. Andy Murray
- Dominic Thiem vs. Stefanos Tsitsipas
- Daria Kasatkina vs. Caroline Dolehide
- Sofia Kenin vs. Coco Gauff
Dangerous Floaters
On the men’s side, American Maxime Cressy has the most classic grass court game, with his serve-and-volley style on first and second serves (and his ability to chip and charge on his opponent’s second serve). Last year, he took out #9 seed Felix Auger-Aliassime in the round, but the first half of his 2023 season has left much to be desired thus far. He’s Laslo Djere of Serbia in the first round and could face Ben Shelton in the second.
American Chris Eubanks is coming into Wimbledon with much confidence after claiming his first ATP Tour title in Mallorca (on grass, no less). His big serve, coverage at the net, massive forehand, and flat rocket of a backhand will all serve him well. He faces Thiago Monteiro of Brazil in the first round and could go up against Cameron Norrie in the second.
Adrian Mannarino of France isn’t your standard grass court player, but his ability to slide the ball around on the grass with his compact groundstrokes all make him highly effective on grass. The 35 year-old made back-to-back quarterfinals on grass at 's-Hertogenbosch and The Queen’s Club before making it all the way to the finals of Mallorca, where he lost to Eubanks in straight sets.
We’re saying, very softly, that Andy Murray is also a dangerous floater this year. He faces fellow Brit Ryan Peniston in the first round and potentially Stefanos Tsitsipas in the second.
On the women’s side, Italy’s Camila Giorgi comes to mind after a solid grass season. She was outside the top 50, but after making to the semifinals at Eastbourne (notching wins against Ons Jabeur and Jelena Ostapenko along the way) she’ll squeeze just inside the top 50 as Wimbledon starts. The straight trajectory and pace on her shots will make her a threat at Wimbledon. But will her serve hold up? She faces Varvara Gracheva in the first round and potentially Aryna Sabalenka in the second.
If the last week hadn’t happened, it’s not clear we should be including Kateřina Siniaková in the mix. But since she won the tournament in Bad Homburg last week and since she’s very much a confidence player, there’s no reason not to consider her a dangerous floater. In the first round, she faces #24 seed Qinwen Zheng, who hasn’t had much experience on grass thus far.
And, even if she’s coming off injury leave, Paula Badosa has to be considered a dangerous floater. A year ago, she was in the top 5, but now her ranking has dropped down below the seeding cut off. She’s reached the 4th round the last two years at Wimbledon and seems to be moved by the spirit of the place. She’ll face Alison Riske-Armitraj in the first round and possibly Maria Sakkari in the following round.
Who got the Wimbledon wild cards?
Men’s Singles
Liam Broady (GBR), Jan Choinski (GBR), Arthur Fery (GBR), Arthur Fils (FRA), David Goffin (BEL), George Loffhagen (GBR), Sebastian Ofner (AUT), Ryan Peniston (GBR)
Women’s Singles
Katie Boulter (GBR), Jodie Burrage (GBR), Harriet Dart (GBR), Sonay Kartal (GBR), Elina Svitolina (UKR), Katie Swan (GBR), Heather Watson (GBR), Venus Williams (USA)
Men’s Doubles
Liam Broady (GBR) and Jonny O'Mara (GBR), Julian Cash (GBR) and Luke Johnson (GBR), Jacob Fearnley (GBR) and Johannus Monday (GBR), John Isner (USA) and Jack Sock (USA), Tommy Paul (USA) and Frances Tiafoe (USA), Toby Samuel (GBR) and Connor Thomson (GBR)
Women’s Doubles
Emily Appleton (GBR) and Jodie Burrage (GBR), Naiktha Bains (GBR) and Maia Lumsden (GBR), Freya Christie (GBR) and Ali Collins (GBR), Danielle Collins (USA) and Alison Riske-Amitraj (USA), Harriet Dart (GBR) and Heather Watson (GBR), Makenna Jones (USA) and Sloane Stephens (USA)
Read, Watch, Listen
A few things to get you in the mood:
- Read the story of the 1973 player walkout when one of its own was unfairly banned at Wimbledon by Cindy Shmerler for The New York Times.
- Check out The Tennis Podcast’s draw episode. And then keep up with all their special Wimbledon episodes for the next two weeks.
- Wimbledon put together a nice little feature about first time competitor (and #32 seed) Ben Shelton. It’s a fun look into seeing the AELTC with fresh eyes, as well as his special relationship with his father and coach Bryan Shelton, who made it to the 4th round at The Championships in 1994.
- Last year, Gerald Marzorati asked some serious questions about what Carlos Alcaraz can bring to the grass courts of Wimbledon for The New Yorker. It’s worth following up on those questions for 2023.
Who To Follow
Keep up with the Wimbledon conversation on social media:
- Be sure to follow Racquet magazine on Twitter, as Andrew Eccles steps in to tweet for the next two weeks.
- And we can talk all things Wimbledon if you follow Court Theory on Twitter!

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