Wimbledon kicks off with Novak Djokovic, Venus Williams

WIMBLEDON, England –

Wimbledon kicks off on Monday with some of the biggest names in tennis in action, including Novak Djokovic, Iga Swiatek, Venus Williams and Coco Gauff.

It’s the third major tournament of the year — and Djokovic won the first two: the Australian Open in January and the French Open in June. That puts him halfway through the first calendar year Grand Slam in men’s tennis since 1969. He came close to the feat in 2021, falling just one win short when he lost in the final of the US Open.

He is aiming for a fifth straight title at the All England Club and eighth overall, both of which would tie men’s records.

Djokovic’s title at Roland Garros was his 23rd at a Slam event, breaking a tie with Rafael Nadal for the men’s title in that category.

Barbora Strycova, a semifinalist in 2019, became the first winner of this year’s tournament by beating Maryna Zanevska 6-1, 7-5. In the men’s event, seventh-seeded Andrey Rublev defeated Max Purcell 6-3, 7-5, 6-4 on No. 3 Court.

Reigning Wimbledon Men’s Champion, Djokovic is scheduled to play the opening match on Center Court on Day 1, facing Argentina’s Pedro Cachin.

They are followed in the main stadium by Williams, a 43-year-old who is entering the sport’s oldest major tournament for the 24th time, taking on Elina Svitolina of Ukraine. Williams – whose younger sister Serena retired after last season – won five of her seven Grand Slam singles trophies at Wimbledon.

The No. 1-ranked Swiatek, who holds four major titles but has not progressed past the fourth round at the All England Club, will start at No. 1 Court against China’s Zhu Lin. Next in that arena is three-time Grand Slam runner-up Casper Ruud against Laurent Lokoli, then Gauff – a 19-year-old American who was a French Open finalist last year – against 2020 Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin.

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