Wimbledon 2023: Swiatek, Djokovic, and Williams feature on opening day.
Wimbledon 2023 commences on Monday, featuring Novak Djokovic as the defending men’s singles champion and the first match on Centre Court. Djokovic, aiming to equal the record for the most men’s titles at Wimbledon, will face Pedro Cachin of Argentina at 13:30 BST. Unfortunately, last year’s runner-up, Nick Kyrgios, has withdrawn from the tournament due to a wrist injury.
The opening match on Court One will see women’s world number one and top seed Iga Swiatek take on China’s Zhu Lin. Following that, seventh seed Coco Gauff, who reached the semifinals in Eastbourne, will play fellow American Sofia Kenin, a former Australian Open champion.
Centre Court will showcase an intriguing clash between five-time champion Venus Williams, competing in her 24th Wimbledon women’s singles appearance at the age of 43, and 2019 semifinalist Elina Svitolina. Men’s eighth seed Jannik Sinner will conclude the day’s action on Centre Court against Juan Manuel Cerundolo from Argentina.
Among the British players in action, Dan Evans and Katie Swan will compete in their respective first-round matches on Court 2.
Djokovic, hailing from Serbia, has claimed the last four Wimbledon titles and aims to match Roger Federer’s record of eight men’s singles championships at the All England Club. A victory at SW19 would bring his total of Grand Slam singles titles to 24, on par with the current record holder, Margaret Court.
Djokovic’s opponent in the first round, Pedro Cachin, is making his debut in the Wimbledon main draw and is currently ranked 67th in the world. On Court 2, number four seed Casper Ruud, who lost to Djokovic in the French Open final, will face Laurent Lokoli of France.
Meanwhile, Iga Swiatek, the reigning French Open champion, looks to make an impact at Wimbledon, where she hasn’t reached the quarterfinals in her previous three appearances. The 22-year-old Polish player recently reached the semifinals of a grass-court tournament but had to withdraw due to illness.
In another match of interest, Daria Kasatkina, the 11th seed and runner-up in Eastbourne, will take on Caroline Dolehide from the USA on Court 18.