Novak Djokovic aims to make more tennis history while British hero Andy Murray bids to continue his resurgence as Wimbledon returns on Monday.
Iga Swiatek’s unsuitability to grass courts blows the women’s singles wide open while British No.1 Katie Boulter will be hoping to recover from early exits in Birmingham and Eastbourne to fill the Emma Raducanu void at SW19.
Here are five storylines to look out for ahead of this year’s Championships…
Can Murray really do the unthinkable?
Great Britain’s tennis superhero Andy Murray heads into Wimbledon unseeded but full of confidence in what has been a superb year for the former world No.1.
He has lifted three ATP Challenger titles in 2023 including two on grass in recent weeks and he is still adamant he can beat the very best players in the world on his strongest surface.
An opening round exit at Queen’s Club was somewhat of a reality check but no-one is expecting Murray to win Wimbledon at the age of 36 with a metal hip after career-saving surgery.
It will be interesting to see just how far the two-time Wimbledon champion can progress, though, in front of an adoring home crowd who will be cheering him on every step of the way.
He would need a miracle but if Murray somehow goes on to lift his third title at this year’s tournament it would surely go down as one of the greatest sporting comebacks ever – akin to Tiger Woods’ remarkable Masters triumph in 2019 – and would earn him a spot on Wimbledon posters for the rest of time…
Dominant Djokovic to lift 24th major title?
Unless he is suddenly struck down by injury during the Championships, it seems almost a formality that seven-time champion Novak Djokovic will defend his Wimbledon crown this year.
Just like in Paris as he registered his record 23rd Grand Slam title, history is again on the line in SW19 as he looks to match Roger Federer for the most Wimbledon men’s singles trophies.
If Djokovic can add Wimbledon to his triumphs at the French Open and Australian Open this year, he would earn himself a second shot of achieving the calendar Grand Slam in New York after he came one match away from doing so in 2021.
Expect to see some four and five-set thrillers on the Serbian’s quest for a 24th major trophy after Jannik Sinner took him all the way in last year’s quarter-finals before British No.1 Cameron Norrie and runner-up Nick Kyrgios both led him one set to love in the last four and final respectively…
Carlos confident after Queen’s Club triumph
If there is anyone capable of stopping Novak Djokovic, it is world No.1 Carlos Alcaraz, with the young Spaniard tipped to become one of the most dominant forces in tennis in years to come.
Alcaraz is somewhat of an unknown quantity having only ever played three grass-court tournaments – suffering second and fourth-round Wimbledon exits in 2021 and 2022 – before landing his first title on the surface at Queen’s Club last week in a huge confidence boost.
The 20-year-old is looking to pick up the second Grand Slam trophy of his career and get revenge on Djokovic after severe cramp saw him lose the pair’s Roland-Garros semi-final this year and has even named himself as one of the favourites.
‘It’s a tournament that I really wanted to win someday and I have a lot of confidence to make that dream possible this year,’ Alcaraz said. ‘I just played 11 matches in my career on grass, so I have to get more experience, more hours.
‘But obviously after beating amazing guys, and with the level that I played, I consider myself one of the favourites to win Wimbledon. Novak is the main favourite to win Wimbledon, that’s obvious. But I will try to play at this level, to have chances to beat him…’
Sabalenka to benefit from Swiatek’s grass troubles?
World No.1 Iga Swiatek has dominated women’s tennis in recent years but she largely struggles on grass and her unsuitability means the Wimbledon title is up for grabs unless she can get to grips with the surface.
The Polish star has never reached a WTA Tour final on grass and has not progressed past the fourth round at Wimbledon, arguably making world No.2 Aryana Sabalenka the favourite after she won her maiden Grand Slam at the Australian Open at the start of the year.
Sabalenka was unable to compete at Wimbledon last year due to the tournament’s ban on Russian and Belarusian players but reached the semi-finals in 2021 and has progressed to the last four or further in her last three Grand Slams.
Along with Swiatek and Sabalenka, current Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina is considered part of the new ‘big three’ in women’s tennis but she has been struggling with a virus and was forced to withdraw from the Eastbourne International.
That means last year’s runner-up Ons Jabeur is right in contention along with world No.5 Caroline Garcia, while two-time champion Petra Kvitova will be worth keeping an eye on after her triumph at the German Open last week…
Will anyone fill the Raducanu void?
From a British perspective, the absence of the injured Emma Raducanu is a massive blow, but there are several players worth keeping an eye on across the women’s and men’s singles.
Katie Boulter is hoping to cause some upsets after she won the first WTA Tour title of her career in Nottingham earlier this month and the 26-year-old has not given up on her dream of one day taking the world No.1 spot despite opening round defeats in Birmingham and Eastbourne bringing her back down to Earth.
‘Nothing comes without some ups and downs and, of course, I’m going to keep striving for that,’ British No.1 Boulter told The Times this week.
Cameron Norrie leads the charge in the men’s singles following his run to the semi-finals last year followed by British No.2 Dan Evans and Andy Murray, with all three ranked inside the world top 40 and capable of pulling off big results.
Meanwhile, wildcards have been handed to Liam Broady, Jan Choinski, Ryan Peniston, George Loffhagen and Arthur Fery.
MORE : Emma Raducanu loses British No.1 ranking after Katie Boulter victory
MORE : Wimbledon 2023: Start date, schedule, seedings, draw and tickets
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