Venus Williams makes 24th Wimbledon appearance

WIMBLEDON, England –

Five-time Wimbledon champion Venus Williams begins her 24th appearance at the tournament against 2019 semi-finalist Elina Svitolina, while Friday’s draw pits two-time titulist Andy Murray against wild card entry Ryan Peniston in an all-British first round.

Williams, who is 43 and has played just five games this season, and Svitolina, who returned to the tour in April after taking time off to have a baby, both received wildcards from the All England Club.

Whoever wins that match could face No. 28 seed Elise Mertens in the second round, perhaps followed by a match against No. 7 Coco Gauff, the American who was just 15 when she began her Grand Slam career by knocking out Williams. switching at Wimbledon in 2019.

Williams won Wimbledon in 2000, 2001, 2005, 2007 and 2008, along with two US Open trophies.

Audible sobs filled the main interrogation room at the All England Club where the draw took place as Murray – who has undergone hip surgery twice since winning Wimbledon in 2013 and 2016 – was lured to face a fellow British player, and again moments later when the winner of that match would face either No. 5 seed Stefanos Tsitsipas, a two-time grand finalist, or 2020 US Open champion Dominic Thiem.

Murray’s first Wimbledon title made him the first British man in 77 years to win the singles title there.

Play at the third Grand Slam tournament of the year begins Monday, when No. 2 seed Novak Djokovic opens his bid for a fifth consecutive championship — and eighth overall — at the All England Club against Pedro Cachin, a 67th-ranked Argentinian making his Wimbledon debut.

The men’s potential quarterfinals are No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz vs. No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz. No. 6 Holger Rune, and No. 3 Daniil Medvedev vs. Tsitsipas on the top half of the bracket, and Djokovic vs. No. 7 Andrey Rublev and No. 4 Casper Ruud vs. no. 8 Jannik Sinner on the bottom half.

Possible women’s quarterfinals are No. 1 Iga Swiatek vs. No. 1 Iga Swiatek. Gauff, and No. 4 Jessica Pegula vs. No. 5 Caroline Garcia on the top half, and No. 3 Elena Rybakina vs. No. 6 Ons Jabeur and No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka against No. 8 Maria Sakkari on the bottom half.

Rybakina-Jabeur would be a rematch of last year’s final, won by Rybakina.

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