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:
How to watch Wimbledon on TV
— In the U.S.: Tennis Channel, ESPN
— Other countries are listed here.
Betting favorites for Wimbledon
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 +160, ahead of defending champion Carlos Alcaraz (+175) and Novak Djokovic (+400), with a big drop-off to the next choice, No. 4 seed Alexander Zverev (+1000).
Basic facts about Wimbledon
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.
The top seeds at Wimbledon
Iga Swiatek is the top-seeded woman. Jannik Sinner is the top-seeded man.
Who plays at Wimbledon on Monday?
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 qualifier 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.
Will Andy Murray play at Wimbledon?
Two-time champion Andy Murray said Sunday he still is not sure whether he is fit enough to compete in singles. His first match is scheduled for Tuesday, and he will wait until after a practice session and more medical tests Monday to make a decision.
The Wimbledon schedule
— 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
A quiz about Wimbledon
Try your hand at the AP’s quiz about Wimbledon.
What you need to read about tennis and Wimbledon
Wimbledon’s defending champions
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.
Prize money at Wimbledon
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.
Numbers to know about Wimbledon
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.
What was said at Wimbledon?
“The draw is really open in the women’s draw, for sure. I think we can expect many surprises … on the grass courts. I feel like you never know what’s going to happen there.” — Marketa Vondrousova, the 2023 Wimbledon champion
“I’m hoping that with each day that passes, the likelihood of me being able to play will increase.” — Andy Murray, a two-time Wimbledon champion who had surgery to remove a cyst on his spinal cord on June 22.
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