WIMBLEDON, England (AP) — Get ready for Wimbledon before play begins on Monday with a guide that tells you everything you need to know about how to watch the grass-court Grand Slam tennis tournament, what the betting odds are, what the schedule is, who the defending champions are and more:
— In the U.S.: Tennis Channel, ESPN
— Other countries are listed here.
Aryna Sabalenka and Jannik Sinner are listed as the favorites to win the singles championships at the All England Club, according to BetMGM Sportsbook. The third-seeded Sabalenka — a two-time Australian Open champion and twice a semifinalist at Wimbledon — is a +333 money-line pick, ahead of No. 1 seed Iga Swiatek (+400), 2022 champion Elena Rybakina (+650) and No. 2 Coco Gauff (+700). The top-seeded Sinner is listed at +150, ahead of defending champion Carlos Alcaraz (+225) and Novak Djokovic (+325), with a big drop-off to the next choice, No. 7 seed Hubert Hurkacz (+1200).
The site is the All England Club. The surface is grass courts. Women play best-of-three-set matches; men play best-of-five-set matches. Unlike the other three Grand Slam tennis tournaments, there are no night sessions; a curfew prevents play past 11 p.m. The event lasts 14 days, including play now on the middle Sunday, which until 2022 was not used for competition except on four occasions when rain created a backlog of matches. There are retractable roofs on Centre Court and No. 1 Court.
Iga Swiatek is the top-seeded woman. Jannik Sinner is the top-seeded man.
Carlos Alcaraz will open play at Centre Court on Day 1 of the tournament, an honor reserved for the returning men's champion. He plays Mark Lajal at 1:30 p.m. local time (1230 GMT, 8:30 a.m. EDT). Next in the main stadium is 2021 U.S. Open champion Emma Raducanu against No. 22 seed Ekaterina Alexandrova, which could start at around 4 p.m. local time (1500 GMT, 11 a.m. EDT), followed by No. 2 Coco Gauff against Caroline Dolehide in an all-American match. The top-seeded man, Jannik Sinner, meets Yannick Hanfmann in Monday's last match at No. 1 Court, which could begin at around 5 p.m. local time (1600 GMT, noon EDT). Last year's women's champion, Marketa Vondrousova, will begin Centre Court play on Tuesday.
Novak Djokovic, who has won seven of his 24 Grand Slam titles at the All England Club, said Saturday his surgically repaired right knee feels good and he expects to be able to compete at a high level. He got hurt on June 3 at the French Open and had an operation two days later.
— Monday-Tuesday: First Round (Women and Men)
— July 3-4: Second Round (Women and Men)
— July 5-6: Third Round (Women and Men)
— July 7-8: Fourth Round (Women and Men)
— July 9-10: Quarterfinals (Women and Men)
— July 11: Women’s Semifinals
— July 12: Men’s Semifinals
— July 13: Women’s Final
— July 14: Men’s Final
Try your hand at the AP’s quiz about Wimbledon.
What to read:
— Novak Djokovic says his right knee feels fine and he is ready to contend at Wimbledon
— Iga Swiatek calls herself a perfectionist and now she wants to improve on grass
— Wimbledon’s qualifying rounds are the tournament before the tournament
— Alcaraz, Sinner, Swiatek and Gauff are ushering in a tennis youth movement
— Andy Murray is still trying to decide whether he can play at Wimbledon
— Who are the top women in the field?
— Who are the top men in the field?
— Rafael Nadal is skipping Wimbledon to prepare for the Paris Olympics
— An outside review says the U.S. Tennis Association can do more to protect players
Marketa Vondrousova earned her first Grand Slam title a year ago at the All England Club, defeating Ons Jabeur 6-4, 6-4 to become the first unseeded woman to win Wimbledon. Carlos Alcaraz got past Novak Djokovic 1-6, 7-6 (6), 6-1, 3-6, 6-4 for his first trophy at Wimbledon and second at a major (a total he recently raised to three by winning the French Open). Djokovic had won four consecutive titles at the All England Club and seven overall.
Total prize money at Wimbledon in 2024 is rising to a record 50 million pounds, which is about $64 million — an increase of nearly 12% from last year. The two singles champions each will receive 2.7 million pounds, about $3.45 million.
7 — The number of women who have won Wimbledon in the last seven years: Marketa Vondrousova, Elena Rybakina, Ash Barty, Simona Halep, Angelique Kerber, Garbiñe Muguruza, Serena Williams.
12 — The number of British men in the Wimbledon singles draw this year, the most since there were 14 in 1978.
“Oh, man, I wish a year ago, me after that match could see me now. That was a tough moment for me.” — Coco Gauff, who lost in the first round at Wimbledon in 2023 but then went on to win the next Grand Slam tournament, the U.S. Open.
“I don’t see myself holding back. I don’t see myself calculating or being a bit more cautious in the movement. I don’t see that happening. Really, I go all in. I go full out. I mean, that’s the way I’ve been playing my entire career.” — Novak Djokovic, who will play Wimbledon less than a month after having knee surgery.
___
AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis