The oldest tennis tournament in the world is about to start: Wimbledon. Here you will find everything you need to know about it.
What when where?
The oldest tennis tournament in the world (first held in 1877) is imminent. “The Championships”, also known as “Wimbledon”, will be held from July 3rd to 16th All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club (AELTC – short: All England Club) at the Church Road held in London.
What is the schedule/schedule?
- 1st round: July 3rd and 4th
- 2nd round: July 5th and 6th
- 3rd round: July 7th and 8th
- Round of 16: July 9th and 10th
- Quarterfinals: July 11th and 12th
- Women’s semi-finals: July 13
- Men’s semifinals: July 14
- Women’s final: July 15
- Men’s Finals: July 16
How much prize money is there?
The organizers are paying out more prize money this year than ever before: 44.7 million pounds, the equivalent of 52.3 million euros. The winners each earn an amount of 2,749,036 euros, which corresponds to an increase of 17.5 percent compared to the previous year. After all, all participants in the first round will receive 64,339 euros.
Who is missing from the tournament?
Rafael Nadal (37), the winner of 2008 and 2010, will not play a match this year because of his physical problems. Angelique Kerber (35), winner in 2018, has not yet returned to the tennis court after the birth of her daughter. The same applies to four-time Grand Slam winner Naomi Osaka (25) from Japan, who is currently pregnant.
Who are the favourites?
Defending champion Novak Djokovic is aiming for his fifth win in a row and eighth overall in the lawn Mecca. If he succeeds, he would draw level with record winner Roger Federer. A serious competitor for the Serb is not in sight – so he could also his existing one Grand Slam-Extend the record to a whopping 24 triumphs.
Who are the favourites?
There is currently no clear favorite to name. Last year’s winner Jelena Rybakina would have the best chance of defending the title – but the Kazakh is struggling with health problems. The favorite among the bookmakers is the world number one Iga Swiatek from Poland. At Wimbledon, however, she never made it past the quarter-finals.
What about the Germans?
After his solid performance in Halle (semi-final defeat against Bublik), Alexander Zverev is, as so often, Germany’s greatest hope – in Wimbledon, however, his journey never went further than the round of 16. Jan-Lennard Struff reached the quarterfinals once in 2018 and most recently the final in Stuttgart. It seems questionable whether Tatjana Maria (semifinals 2022) and the ailing Jule Niemeier (quarterfinals 2022) can repeat their successes from the previous year.
What about Russians and Belarusians?
This time they are allowed to participate as “neutral athletes” and in this context they must confirm in writing, among other things, that they do not receive any funds from government agencies or sanctioned sponsors or persons. Last year, Belarusian and Russian players were excluded at the instigation of the British government, so the associations WTA (women) and ATP (men) did not award any world ranking points and demanded penalties of one million dollars each from the English association (LTA) and the AELTC . The penalties have now been halved.
Where will the tournament be broadcast on TV and live stream?
In Germany, Sky has secured the broadcasting rights for the tournament. The pay station shows, among other things, all games with German participation.
How much do Wimbledon tickets cost?
All advance tickets are sold out. As the organizers announced, there will still be a small number of tickets on the match days themselves. In addition, numerous tickets are available through various third-party providers. Here, however, sometimes horrendous prices of over 10,000 euros are required. The Wimbledon website expressly warns against such offers, as their validity is not guaranteed.
Which players are the tournament’s record winners?
The record winner for men is still Roger Federer, who has lifted the Wimbledon Cup eight times in his career. But Novak Djokovic is hot on the Swiss heels – thanks to four wins in a row, the Serb is only missing one more success to catch up with Federer. The best German is Boris Becker, who won Wimbledon three times (1985, 1986, 1989).
The American Martina Navratilova is still the most successful women’s player. Between 1978 and 1990 she won the coveted trophy nine times. With seven wins, Steffi Graf is in second place.
Why is there a pineapple on the top of the cup?
A pineapple has always been emblazoned on the top of the Wimbledon trophy. However, no one really knows why this is the case. Even the All England Club, which has hosted the tournament since 1877, writes on its website: “Yes, that’s a pineapple on top and no, nobody seems to be able to figure out what it’s doing there.”