As the world prepares for the Summer of 2024 to host the Wimbledon, there is already hype around the key players ahead of the tournament.
While we analyze the key players, here’s a refresher on the world’s most esteemed Grand Slam in England.
Location
Wimbledon is played at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on Church Road in southwest London.
In 2022, the tournament celebrated its 100th anniversary at the venue.
The venue consists of 18 championship courts, including the show courts, Centre Court, No 1, and No 2.
Qualification
Qualification for Wimbledon usually happens before the tournament and will not occur at Wimbledon but at Roehampton. With the limited space in the All England Club, it is not feasible for the games to take place.
Even for fans who get tickets through official sources and secondary market tickets, the limited space in the stands means that only a limited number of people are entitled to watch the games each year.
The organizers have submitted plans for future expansion, including 39 new grass courts plus an 8,000-seater show court, which were turned down by the London Borough of Wandsworth even though the London Borough of Merton had given them the go-ahead.
The intent was to have these constructed and ready for use by 2030.
Russians and Belarusians in Wimbledon in 2023?
After the ban on them was lifted, players from Russia and Belarus are now allowed to play at Wimbledon. The players will, however, need to meet selected conditions before being allowed to play.
This was a declaration of neutrality in the situation, not expressing support for Russia or the Russian government or saying they were not funded.
When the war between Ukraine and Russia sparked, the Lawn Tennis Association imposed a ban on players from Russia and Belarus participating at Wimbledon. This also led to Wimbledon’s removal of its ranking points.
But in 2023, the ban was overturned, and ranking points were restored.
Dress Code
All players who play at Wimbledon will need to strictly adhere to the dress code.
Wimbledon’s dress code famously requires all players to wear all-white clothing. However, since 2023, the tournament has relaxed this policy to allow female players to wear colored ball shorts under their white skirts.
This agreement was made after several former and current players spoke openly about the anxieties of playing during their periods.
Defending Champions
The men’s singles champion at Wimbledon in 2023 was Carlos Alcaraz, who beat Novak Djokovic in an instant classic 1–6, 7–6 (6), 6–1, 3–6, 6–4.
The women’s singles champion at Wimbledon in 2023 was Marketa Vondrousova, who beat Ons Jabeur 6-4, 6-4.
The other 2023 Wimbledon champions are:
Men’s doubles: Wesley Koolhof and Neal Skupski
Women’s doubles: Hsieh Su-wei and Barbora Strycova
Mixed doubles: Mate Pavic and Lyudmyla Kichenok
Wimbledon Tickets
There are three ways to get Wimbledon tickets for 2024. The first is the official ballot, allowing people to submit their names to a ballot, and selected winners will be given tickets. The public ballot for Wimbledon is now officially closed.
In the meantime, people queuing up can get tickets on the day of the games. But according to reports, the queues extend for nearly a kilometer, and you might have to wait for long hours for the tickets.
Instead, the third option, getting secondary market tickets, is seen as the most viable option for many fans through resellers. With this option, fans can pick and choose their seats and not be troubled by queues and waiting.
Most Titles
Martina Navratilova has won the most singles titles in the tournament. She has won the Wimbledon singles title nine times, including six between 1982 and 1987.
Roger Federer has eight men’s singles titles, five of which were won between 2003 and 2007. Bjorn Borg also won five in succession between 1976 and 1980.
The last time a Brit won Wimbledon was in 2016 when Andy Murray beat Milos Raonic.
Virginia Wade, the last British women’s singles champion, beat Betty Stove in the 1977 final.
Carlos Alcaraz in Trouble?
For Carlos Alcaraz, who was last year’s champion, things haven’t played well in his favor since.
Carlos Alcaraz has asserted that he does not see “failure and frustration in what happened” since winning the 2023 Wimbledon title while recognizing he has a lot to learn to move forward.
With two Grand Slam titles under his name, Alcaraz believes that lowering his level and concentration are what he must improve on. He feels this started after the US Open in September rather than Wimbledon.
In 2023, the youngster made history as he overcame the 24-time grand slam winner Novak Djokovic. Ever since then, the hype has been around the Alcaraz, as people flooded secondary market tickets to watch him play.
But, the 20-year-old has endured a more challenging run since Wimbledon, which was the last title he won, and he has reached one final in the ten events he has played following his victory.
The Spaniard fell to Djokovic in an epic title match at the Cincinnati Masters in August.
Following a quarter-final exit to Alexander Zverev at the Australian Open in January, Alcaraz was downed by Nicolas Jarry in the semi-finals of the Argentina Open in Buenos Aires in February.
He then had to retire in the opening game of the ATP 500 tournament in Rio owing to an ankle sprain.
Later, the World #2 defeated legendary countryman Rafael Nadal 3-6, 6-4, (14-12) in the Netflix Slam exhibition in Las Vegas on March 3.
Alcaraz was recently asked about the difference between his form and results before and after winning the 2023 Wimbledon title.
He added that the American tour after Wimbledon was great, but it gets tough with the people’s expectation to keep winning.
“The American tour I did after Wimbledon wasn’t bad at all. What happens is that people think that if you don’t win titles, it’s bad, and it’s not like that,”
“This year, I started with good feelings in Australia and then in Buenos Aires. It’s not like I had the best, and Rio was unexpected, but it can happen.
The 20-year-old also spoke about playing 22-time Grand Slam champion Nadal and his relationship with the 37-year-old Mallorcan. He added that he maintains a good relationship with him, having faced him on three occasions.
