The 2024 edition of The Championships are underway, with stars including defending champion Carlos Alcaraz, seven-time Wimbledon titlist Novak Djokovic and Jannik Sinner, the No. 1 player in the PIF ATP Rankings, through to the second round on the London grass.
ATPTour.com looks at five storylines to watch over the rest of the fortnight.
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1) Can Sinner Triumph & Extend No. 1 Lead? The Italian has not yet triumphed at Wimbledon, but he will be keen to add the historic trophy to his collection. Sinner, who won his first-round match against Yannick Hanfmann in four sets, reached the semi-finals last year at SW19 and carries momentum after claiming his maiden grass-court title in Halle. He will face a stern test in the second round against 2021 finalist Matteo Berrettini. With Alcaraz dropping 2,000 points and Djokovic 1,200 points compared to Sinner’s 720, it is also an opportunity for the Italian to pad his World No. 1 lead.
2) Djokovic Seeks A Statement: There were questions whether Djokovic would compete at The All England Club after suffering a torn meniscus. Not only did he look sharp in his opener against Vit Kopriva, he only lost five games. The 24-time major champion has regularly displayed an ability to find his best tennis at the biggest tournaments and Wimbledon has been no different. The Serbian owns a 93-11 record at the tournament and is pursuing his record-tying eighth trophy.
3) Alcaraz’s Momentum: The Spanish star is fresh off earning his third major crown at Roland Garros. Alcaraz is also the defending champion at SW19, where he defeated Djokovic in a thrilling five-set final one year ago. He is still relatively new to grass, but is 18-3 on the surface and will try to battle to his fourth major title.
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4) Murray Doubling Up On Doubles: It was a difficult moment for Andy Murray on Tuesday when he withdrew from singles at The Championships, but he is still keen to compete alongside brother Jamie Murray, the former No. 1 in the PIF ATP Doubles Rankings. It is the first time the brothers will compete together at a Slam. The top seeds in doubles are Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos.
Andy Murray has also accepted a wild card into mixed doubles with Emma Raducanu.
5) Early Memorable Moments: Several rising stars have made their mark already at this edition of the grass-court major. Lucky loser Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard delivered 51 aces in a memorable performance against Sebastian Korda and #NextGenATP Shang Juncheng became the first Chinese man in the Open Era to earn a main draw win at Wimbledon. He is only 19. Otto Virtanen, who had never won a main draw match at a Slam before his arrival, rushed home to Finland for his grandfather’s funeral before returning to Wimbledon to reach the second round.
[NEWSLETTER FORM]
ATPTour.com looks at five storylines to watch over the rest of the fortnight.
[ATP APP]
1) Can Sinner Triumph & Extend No. 1 Lead? The Italian has not yet triumphed at Wimbledon, but he will be keen to add the historic trophy to his collection. Sinner, who won his first-round match against Yannick Hanfmann in four sets, reached the semi-finals last year at SW19 and carries momentum after claiming his maiden grass-court title in Halle. He will face a stern test in the second round against 2021 finalist Matteo Berrettini. With Alcaraz dropping 2,000 points and Djokovic 1,200 points compared to Sinner’s 720, it is also an opportunity for the Italian to pad his World No. 1 lead.
2) Djokovic Seeks A Statement: There were questions whether Djokovic would compete at The All England Club after suffering a torn meniscus. Not only did he look sharp in his opener against Vit Kopriva, he only lost five games. The 24-time major champion has regularly displayed an ability to find his best tennis at the biggest tournaments and Wimbledon has been no different. The Serbian owns a 93-11 record at the tournament and is pursuing his record-tying eighth trophy.
3) Alcaraz’s Momentum: The Spanish star is fresh off earning his third major crown at Roland Garros. Alcaraz is also the defending champion at SW19, where he defeated Djokovic in a thrilling five-set final one year ago. He is still relatively new to grass, but is 18-3 on the surface and will try to battle to his fourth major title.
[ATP APP]
4) Murray Doubling Up On Doubles: It was a difficult moment for Andy Murray on Tuesday when he withdrew from singles at The Championships, but he is still keen to compete alongside brother Jamie Murray, the former No. 1 in the PIF ATP Doubles Rankings. It is the first time the brothers will compete together at a Slam. The top seeds in doubles are Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos.
Andy Murray has also accepted a wild card into mixed doubles with Emma Raducanu.
5) Early Memorable Moments: Several rising stars have made their mark already at this edition of the grass-court major. Lucky loser Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard delivered 51 aces in a memorable performance against Sebastian Korda and #NextGenATP Shang Juncheng became the first Chinese man in the Open Era to earn a main draw win at Wimbledon. He is only 19. Otto Virtanen, who had never won a main draw match at a Slam before his arrival, rushed home to Finland for his grandfather’s funeral before returning to Wimbledon to reach the second round.
[NEWSLETTER FORM]