The only grass court Grand Slam and oldest tennis tournament is returning after being cancelled last year due to pandemic. (More Sports News)
The tournament once again is trying to negotiate its way around the pandemic with only 50 % attendance allowed. Wimbledon will be held from June 28 to July 11.
Defending champion Novak Djokovic will try to equal Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer record of 20 Grand Slam titles.
Nadal has already pulled out of Wimbledon and also Olympics. Top seed Djokovic already has won Australian Open and French Open and has won four of the last six Wimbledon tournaments. Last player to win more at Wimbledon in a row is Roger Federer between 2003 and 2007 wherein he won five titles.
Djokovic is the only player to have won the first two Grand Slam tournaments of a calendar year over the last 25 years. He did that in 2016 and in 2021 as well. There is a distinct possibility that the top two contenders for the Grass court title Djokovic and Federer can meet in the final after they were placed in the opposite ends in draw’s.
The last player to win the first three Grand Slam tournaments of a calendar year is Rod Laver during his Grand Slam in 1969 and Djokovic will surely be eying that record. Federer is also be chasing history. He won the men’s singles title at Wimbledon eight times, the most among all players in Wimbledon’s history and he will aim to win his 21st Grand Slam tournament.
The 2019 women's champion, Simona Halep has already pulled out of Wimbledon due to an injured left calf. With No. 2 Naomi Osaka already opting out the women’s field is a bit diminished. But still there will be enough star power to keep the fans interested. Serena Williams, 39, will be seeking her 24th major singles trophy to equal the all-time mark after losing in the 2018 and 2019 Wimbledon finals. Williams can pull equal to Margaret Court for the most of all-time in women’s tennis.
Coco Gauff, now 17, returns to the site of her big breakthrough at 15.
KEY FACTS
Men’s Singles
~ The last 17 years at Wimbledon have been dominated by the four players- Federer (8), Djokovic (5), Nadal (2), Andy Murray (2). The last winner at Wimbledon before them was Lleyton Hewitt in 2002.
~ Each of the last nine men’s titles at Wimbledon have been won by either Novak Djokovic (5), Roger Federer (2) or Andy Murray (2).
~ Since Wimbledon 2004, only one of the 68 Grand Slam tournaments has not seen at least one of Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal in the semi-final, it was at the US Open 2020.
~ The 2019 Final at Wimbledon was the first Grand Slam final to be decided by a final set tiebreak, with Novak Djokovic beating Roger Federer 7-3 in that tiebreak; it was also the longest final in Wimbledon history (4hours 57minutes).
~ No player has won Roland Garros and Wimbledon the same year since Rafael Nadal in 2010.
~ Lleyton Hewitt was the last non-European player to win at Wimbledon, it was in 2002; it’s the current longest run without a non-European winning among the four Grand Slam tournaments.
Women’s Singles
~ Serena Williams has won seven Wimbledon Women’s Singles titles (level with Steffi Graf): only Martina Navratilova has more in Open Era (9).
~ Serena Williams has been runner-up in Wimbledon 2018 (v Angelique Kerber) and 2019 (v Simona Halep): Chris Evert is the only previous player in Open Era to have lost in Final in three Wimbledon Tournaments in a row (between 1978 and 1980).
~ Serena Williams is looking to become only the second player to win 100 matches in Wimbledon (currently 98), alongside Martina Navratilova. She could also become the first player to reach 100+ wins in two different Majors (106 wins at the US Open).
(With inputs from Stats Perform & Agencies)
TOP SEEDS
Men’s Singles: Novak Djokovic (1), Daniil Medvedev (2), Stefanos Tsitsipas (3), Dominic Thiem (4), Alexander Zverev (5), Andrey Rublev (6), Roger Federer (7), Matteo Berrettini (8), Roberto Bautista Agut (9), Diego Schwartzman (10)
Women’s Singles: Ashleigh Barty (1), Aryna Sabalenka (2), Elina Svitolina (3), Sofia Kenin (4), Bianca Andreescu (5), Serena Williams (6), Iga Swiatek (7), Karolina Pliskova (8), Belinda Bencic (9), Petra Kvitova (10)
Where to watch Wimbledon 2021 live in India?
TV telecast: Wimbledon Championships 2021 tennis matches will be telecast live in India on the Star Sports Select 1, Star Sports Select 1 HD, Star Sports Select 2 and Star Sports Select 2 HD TV channels.
Live streaming: Will be available in India on Disney+ Hotstar.
