It seems just yesterday that Ostapenko and Nadal conquered all before them at Roland Garros but with just days to go until
Wimbledon, the oldest tennis tournament in the world gets going. We continue our build-up ahead of the opening fixtures. Held at The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in London, qualifiers are already under way.
After securing an unprecedented 10
th title in Paris, World number 4 Rafa Nadal pulled out of the Aegon Champs in order to rest ahead of the prestige grass court event. He looks re-energised and ready to challenge on grass once more. He last lifted the Wimbledon trophy aloft way back in 2010 and could be on a collision course for a repeat of the 2008 final against World Number 3 Roger Federer who will be looking to add a record 8
th crown to his name.
World Number 1 for the first time at Wimbledon Andy Murray will be returning to defend the title he won in 2016. He could face fellow a Brit, James Ward - ranked 1069
th in the world, in the first round. Murray was knocked out in straight sets in the round of 32 at the Aegon Champs where he was hoping for a better showing in his preparation for Wimbledon and has recently pulled out of a second warm-up exhibition match as he bids to equal the British record of three wins on the famed Centre Court at a Wimbledon final in 2017. “Sadly I won’t be ready to play at Hurlingham, my hip is still sore and I need to rest it today and likely tomorrow." the Scot said in a statement.
Another one to keep an eye over the course of the coming week is Roland Garros runner-up Stan Wawrinka. The Swiss star dumped out Murray in a thrilling, five-set semi-final before he eventually succumbed to Nadal at the final hurdle. The pair have faced each other just once in the past on grass when Murray knocked Wawrinka out of Wimbledon in the round of 16 in 2009. It remains the only Grand Slam to evade the 32-year-old who won the Australian Open in 2014, French Open in 2015, U.S Open in 2016. Perhaps 2017 will finally be his year after all.
Defending Ladies Champion Serena Williams will miss out as she awaits the birth of her child leaving the door open for World Number 1 and beaten finalist in 2016, Angelique Kerber who was recently knocked out of the Eastbourne International by World Number 5 and local favourite Johanna Konta. World Number 2 Simona Halep, also seeking a first Grand Slam victory on grass will be looking to go one step further than she did in Paris while two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova is seeded 11
th and could make her return after a long-injury layoff.
Wimbledon 2017 Seedings:
Men:
- Andy Murray (UK)
- Novak Djokovic (SER)
- Roger Federer (SUI)
- Rafa Nadal (SPA)
- Stan Wawrinka (SUI)
- MIlos Raonic (CAN)
- Marin Cilic (CRO)
- Dominic Thiem (AUT)
Ladies:
- Angelique Kerber (GER)
- Simona Halep (ROM)
- Karolina Pliskova (CZE)
- Elina Svitolina (UKR)
- Caroline Wozniacki (DEN)
- Johanna Konta (GBR)
- Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS)
- Dominika Cibulkova (SVK)