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Novak Djokovic and Ashleigh Barty were revealed as the top seeds for the 2021 Wimbledon Championships as part of Friday’s tournament draws.
Djokovic is the defending champion on the men’s side after beating Roger Federer in a memorable five-set marathon final in 2019. Wimbledon was canceled last year amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Simona Halep, the 2019 women’s champ, announced Friday on Instagram she wouldn’t be able to defend her title because of a calf injury.
Let’s check out all of the important details for tennis’ third Grand Slam event of the year. That’s followed by an overview of some storylines to watch from both singles brackets.
Key Wimbledon Information
Location: All England Club in London
Scheduled Dates: Monday, June 28 — Sunday, July 11
Watch: ESPN and ESPN2
Live Stream: Watch ESPN
Men’s Draw: Official Bracket
Women’s Draw: Official Bracket
Tournament Preview
Men’s Draw
Djokovic is halfway to the calendar
Grand Slam after capturing the Australian Open championship in
February and the French Open title in mid-June. He’d become the first
men’s singles player to accomplish the feat since Rod Laver in 1969.
Laver also did it in 1962.
The 34-year-old Serbian superstar has a
highly favorable draw in the early rounds. Big-serving Kevin Anderson
could pose a little bit of a challenge as a potential second-round
opponent, but the No. 1 seed will be a heavy favorite to make it
through to the event’s second week without much drama.
Given his recent form, Djokovic
probably won’t face a serious test until a potential quarterfinal
matchup with fifth-seeded Andrey Rublev.
Here’s a look at all the
possible quarterfinals if the seeds hold:
Federer’s return to the All England
Club will attract a lot of attention since he dropped out of the
French Open after reaching the fourth round to focus on continued
recovery from his knee injuries.
“After two knee surgeries and over
a year of rehabilitation, it’s important that I listen to my body and
make sure I don’t push myself too quickly on my road to recovery,” Federer said June 6. “I am thrilled to have gotten three matches
under my belt. There is no greater feeling than being back on court.”
The eight-time Wimbledon champion
returned to action at the Halle Open in Germany last week, but he
suffered a loss to Felix Auger-Aliassime in his second match of the
warm-up event.
Federer’s uncertain form and fitness
make him a longer shot than he’d typically be at Wimbledon, but if
there’s one major where he’s capable of pulling off the unexpected,
it’s this one.
Meanwhile, Andy Murray was granted a
wild card for the event and will look to progress beyond the second round of a
major for the first time since 2017 as he’s worked to overcome
injuries of his own.
The 2013 and 2016 Wimbledon winner
opens with a tough matchup against No. 24 seed Nikoloz Basilashvili,
but there’s a definite path for a run if he makes it through that
match, especially if 10th-seeded Denis Shapovalov is upset before
their possible third-round encounter.
Stefanos Tsitsipas and Daniil Medvedev
are the other title hopefuls to watch on the men’s side.
Women’s Draw
Barty was in terrific form heading
toward the French Open having won the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in
Germany and reached the final of the Madrid Open in Spain. She was
forced to withdraw from the Italian Open and at Roland-Garros because
of injuries, however, and she didn’t play a grass warm-up event.
It sets the stage for what could be
another unpredictable women’s draw after the French Open, which saw
just one top-10 seed reach the quarterfinals.
Serena Williams was among the notable
players knocked out earlier than expected in Paris, losing in the
fourth round to Elena Rybakina in straight sets.
Williams has captured 23 Grand Slam
singles titles, leaving her one short of tying Margaret Court for the
all-time record, but that next major championship has been elusive.
Her last triumph on one of tennis’ biggest stages came at the 2017
Australian Open, though she’s reached four finals since that title.
That includes back-to-back trips to the
Wimbledon final in 2018 and 2019. She’s won the event seven times. So
this is a golden opportunity for her to break the drought with no
clear favorite in the field.
Beyond Barty and Williams, there’s a
large group of second-tier contenders all with a realistic chance of
making a championship charge. Petra Kvitova, Aryna Sabalenka, Garbine
Muguruza, Bianca Andreescu and Iga Swiatek are just a handful of the
players from that group.
Coco Gauff is another player to keep
tabs on throughout the fortnight. The 17-year-old American reached
the quarterfinals of a major for the first time at the French Open,
and her game should be even better suited for the grass courts of the
All England Club.
“I’m excited to go back for sure.
I think my most memorable thing I remember from Wimbledon is just the
crowd experience,” Gauff said earlier this month after reaching the fourth round in her first appearance at the tournament in 2019.
A possible fourth-round clash between
Williams and Gauff would have Match of the Year potential if both players are at their best.
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