mtenis.com.pl

DANIIL MEDVEDEV
Nick Kyrgios tried and failed to halt him in last year’s final as the most unlikely bromance since Laurel and Hardy erupted, but our endlessly compelling Australian visitor has had nothing but knee injury woe since then and has pulled out again because of a wrist problem.

There’s no argument about match of the day, surely - but when two popular wild cards like Venus Williams and Elina Svitolina collide on Centre Court, who to root for?


VENUS WILLIAMS
The 43-year-old five-time champion, competing in her 24th Wimbledon more than quarter-of-a-century since she set out here as a 17-year-old?

Or the inspirational Ukrainian champion who’s returned so impressively to tennis after a maternity break, and is only interested in ensuring her profile as a national sporting heroine can help her country’s cause?

Either way, this isn’t a farewell gig for Venus. Good gracious, she even suggested over the weekend that she could still be back here playing when she’s 50, and you wouldn’t be the least bit surprised.


COCO GAUFF
Coco Gauff was reflecting over the weekend on her Wimbledon bow as a wide-eyed 15-year-old against the ageless Venus. “The start of everything for me, a pivotal moment in my life,” she noted.

Now a gnarled old veteran of 19, the American has a challenging opener, on No.1 Court against resurgent compatriot Sofia Kenin, who beat Gauff en route to her 2020 Australian Open triumph.

Sadly, we have no Emma Raducanu to cheer this year but there’s a queue of home-based players scrapping to take the spotlight. So, if it’s a day one seed-slaying Brit you’re after, can we point you to No.2 Court where Bristol’s finest, Katie Swan, is up against Swiss Olympic gold medallist Belinda Bencic, who could be a bit vulnerable after recent hip trouble?


JOHN ISNER AND FRIEND
A bit of star-gazing around the Grounds could be in order. To Court 16, perhaps, where John Isner, owner of a world record 14,260 aces and counting, will be pounding them down against Spain’s Jaume Munar?

Or Court 18, where the oldest player in the men’s singles, our ever-popular visitor Stan Wawrinka will be, at 38, starting his 17th Wimbledon campaign against Finnish riser Emil Ruusuvuori, who recently beat Jannik Sinner on grass?

The world No.1 Iga Swiatek had a bit of a scare last week when she had to pull out of a tournament in Germany with fever and food poisoning - maybe just a bad Hamburger in Bad Homburg? - but she breezed in to report all’s well for her to begin her quest for a fifth Grand Slam title against China’s Lin Zhu on No.1 Court.


Swiatek has never got past the fourth round here and Zhu, a semi-finalist on the Edgbaston grass and already a tournament winner in Thailand this year, is no pushover. Yet Iga is adamant she’s at last gradually getting a taste for the grass.

A bit like Djokovic, come to think of it…

New this year:

See the draw like never before, with interactive Path to the Final view of the draw by clicking a player’s name on the draws page

See the projected Path to the Final of every player in the Gentlemen’s and Ladies’ singles draws with IBM Likely to Play

View how favourable or difficult a player's draw is, with IBM AI Draw Analysis