Williams returns to singles action
American tennis star Serena Williams is set to make her return to singles competition at Wimbledon, where she will face Australian Maya Joint in the first round. Williams, a seven-time women’s champion at the All England Club, received a wildcard entry for her singles comeback. She has not competed in singles since the US Open in 2022. Williams is 44 years old.
Joint, who is 20, experienced a first-round exit in her main-draw debut at Wimbledon last year. She has won only one of her last 14 matches. The matchup is seen as potentially favorable for Williams, who could then face 29th seed Alexandra Eala of the Philippines. There is also a possibility of Williams playing against Iga Swiatek in the third round.
Williams has participated in two doubles matches since beginning her comeback this month. She will also compete alongside her older sister, Venus Williams, who is 46, in the Wimbledon doubles event. The sisters have won the Wimbledon doubles title six times.
British players face challenging draws
In the men’s draw, Britain’s Jack Draper is scheduled to play against American sixth seed Taylor Fritz in the first round. Draper is continuing his return after a series of injury issues and has reached the semi-finals at Eastbourne in his first tournament since April. Andy Murray is now part of Draper’s coaching team. Draper, who is 24, was ranked within the top 100 when the entry list closed, securing his place in the draw.
Cameron Norrie, seeded 26th in the men’s singles, is the highest-ranked British player among the six who gained direct entry based on their ranking. Norrie, a semi-finalist in 2022, will begin his campaign against American qualifier Michael Zheng. He could potentially face Canadian third seed Felix Auger-Aliassime in the third round.
British number one Emma Raducanu, seeded 30th, is slated to start against Croatia’s Antonia Ruzic. Concerns have been raised about Raducanu’s fitness after she did not practice on Thursday due to a shin injury. Raducanu could potentially meet top seed Aryna Sabalenka in the third round, a scenario that occurred at Wimbledon last year. If she advances, Raducanu might also face former French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko in the second round, who is set to play Harriet Dart first.
Other British players who secured spots through ranking include Katie Boulter, Francesca Jones, and Jan Choinski. Twelve Britons received wildcards, with six men and six women. Ollie Tarvet, Billy Harris, and Max Basing successfully qualified after winning three matches this week, marking the most home players to qualify since 1999.
Other notable first-round matchups
Seven-time champion Novak Djokovic will begin his pursuit of a 25th Grand Slam title against China’s Wu Yibing. World number one Jannik Sinner, who has not played since his second-round exit at the French Open in May, will start his title defense against Serbia’s Miomir Kecmanovic.
Reigning women’s champion Iga Swiatek is scheduled to begin her title defense against American Taylor Townsend. Meanwhile, Carlos Alcaraz will not be participating in the tournament as he continues to recover from a wrist injury. Wimbledon is set to commence on June 29.
Other significant first-round matches in the women’s singles include Aryna Sabalenka against Teodora Kostovic, Jessica Pegula facing Darja Vidmanova, Magda Linette playing Mirra Andreeva, Tamara Korpatsch against Coco Gauff, and Lois Boisson meeting Elena Rybakina.
In the men’s singles, notable first-round encounters feature Casper Ruud against Hubert Hurkacz, Marin Cilic playing Daniil Medvedev, Roberto Bautista Agut facing Joao Fonseca, Stan Wawrinka against Matteo Berrettini, and Alexander Blockx meeting Alexander Zverev.
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Source: bbc.com
