WIMBLEDON – A glance at Wimbledon, the year’s third Grand Slam tennis tournament, which was canceled in 2020 because of the pandemic:
SURFACE
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Grass courts
SITE
All England Club
SCHEDULE
The 13-day tournament begins Monday. The women’s singles final is Saturday, July 10; the men’s singles final is Sunday, July 11. There are no night sessions and there is no play scheduled at all for Sunday, July 4 — which would change as of 2022 under a plan to begin holding competition on the Middle Sunday each year.
EARLY FORECAST
There is cool, wet weather expected for much of Week 1, with plenty of rain in the forecast and daily high temperatures in the low 60s to low 70s Fahrenheit (teens to low 20s Celsius).
ATTENDANCE
Crowds can be at about 50% of full capacity at the start of the tournament because of the pandemic, but will be allowed to rise to 100% at Centre Court — about 15,000 people — for the two singles finals.
2019 MEN’S SINGLES CHAMPION
Novak Djokovic of Serbia
2019 WOMEN’S SINGLES CHAMPION
Simona Halep of Romania
LAST TIME
Djokovic became the first man in 71 years to win Wimbledon after erasing championship points, edging Roger Federer 7-6 (5), 1-6, 7-6 (4), 4-6, 13-12 (3). It was the first fifth-set tiebreaker in a final at the All England Club. Federer twice was one point from winning while ahead 8-7 in that set. Djokovic collected his fifth Wimbledon title and second in a row, raising his Grand Slam haul to 16 trophies. He currently stands at 19, just one away from tying the men's record shared by Federer and Rafael Nadal. Halep played what she has described as a perfect match to upset Serena Williams 6-2, 6-2 in less than an hour in the women's final. Halep made only three unforced errors, 23 fewer than Williams. That victory gave Halep her second Grand Slam title. She will not be back to defend that championship, though, because a torn calf muscle forced her to withdraw from this year's tournament.
KEY STATISTICS
7 — Wimbledon singles championships won by Serena Williams, part of her Grand Slam total of 23, the most in the Open era, which began in 1968. The only player with more is Margaret Court, who won 24 across the sport’s amateur and professional eras.
17 — Consecutive men’s Wimbledon titles won by Roger Federer (8), Novak Djokovic (5), Rafael Nadal (2) and Andy Murray (2), a streak that began in 2003.
34 — Americans in the singles brackets (21 women, 13 men), the most at Wimbledon since there were 35 in 1998.
DAY 1 LOOKAHEAD
Djokovic will get his bid for a third major title of 2021 started at Centre Court on Monday by facing wild-card entry Jack Draper, a 19-year-old left-hander from England who is making his Grand Slam debut. That will be followed in the main stadium by a showdown between a pair of major champions: two-time Wimbledon winner Petra Kvitova vs. 2017 U.S. Open champ Sloane Stephens. When she heard about who she'd be playing, Kvitova said, “I was like, ‘OK, it’s not easy, but that’s how it is.’” The third Centre Court match on Day 1 features the return of Andy Murray, whose 2013 title at the All England Club was the first in singles for a British man in 77 years. Murray hasn't competed in singles at Wimbledon since 2017, because of two hip operations. Among the other owners of Grand Slam trophies on Monday's schedule: Venus Williams, Garbiñe Muguruza, Iga Swiatek, Sofia Kenin and major runners-up Stefanos Tsitsipas and Kevin Anderson.
DAY 1 FORECAST
Rain. High of 72 degrees Fahrenheit (22 Celsius).
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