WIMBLEDON — British interest in the men’s and women’s singles may have ended, but fear not. Anyone for doubles instead?
Jamie Murray remains in the hunt for a doubles double, winning his men’s encounter with Michael Venus on Sunday before then progressing with mixed partner Taylor Townsend as well. Murray is a seven-time grand slam champion and has as many titles at Wimbledon as brother Andy thanks to two mixed triumphs in 2007 and 2017.
Britain’s Neal Skupski – a two-time mixed doubles champion at Wimbledon himself – is however the top seed in the men’s doubles with Dutchman Wesley Koolhof, while the wildcard pairing of Naiktha Bains and Maia Lumsden are the only Brits left in the women’s doubles.
Beyond Murray in the mixed there is British pairing Heather Watson and Joe Salisbury, who are worth following after reaching the second round with ease. Both are slam winners in the doubles, Salisbury a five-time champion, but not yet at SW19, while Watson won the Wimbledon mixed back in 2016.
At junior level, 17-year-old Henry Searle will also look to build on his impressive opening-round win in the boys’ singles, having beaten top seed Juan Carlos Prado Angelo. Hannah Klugman, 14, and Isabelle Lacy, 17, are among the names to look out for in the girls’ singles after both winning in the first round on Sunday.
There’s your beefy reason No 1 to keep watching Wimbledon this week. Here are eight more…
That (possible) rematch
On six occasions in four press conferences at Wimbledon, Carlos Alcaraz has been asked about Novak Djokovic. It was the meeting on everyone’s lips at the French Open, and came to fruition in the semi-finals – where cramp ended the Spaniard’s hopes of victory – and Alcaraz has been bombarded with questions throughout these championships ahead of a possible showdown in the men’s final on 16 July.
“Not only tennis fans, sports fans want the final. Myself as well,” said Alcaraz. “Obviously my dream is to play a final here, but I have three rounds ahead and I’m really focused on the next round.”
Alcaraz knows he must navigate a tricky Wimbledon draw, with 2021 finalist Matteo Berrettini first up on Monday before the top seed can even think about the quarter-finals, a stage the 20-year-old is looking to reach for the first time here after a fourth-round exit last year.
Djokovic, meanwhile, has an easier path to the final, and this current version of Alcaraz – who was run close by Nicolas Jarry on Saturday – may do well to stop him. Bar a shock, a record-equalling 24th slam and eighth Wimbledon title awaits.
Big Three showdown unpredictable
As Katie Boulter discovered on Saturday night, Elena Rybakina is some player. It was a match that exposed the gap between the top seeds and those jostling for position below them.
Rybakina, Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek have won the past five grand slams between them, meaning recent shock triumphs for Bianca Andreescu, Barbora Krejcikova and Emma Raducanu could be few and far between in the coming years.
Swiatek is 22, Rybakina 24, and Sabalenka 25, and while difficult to look beyond one of these three winning Wimbledon this year, the fascination comes from working out exactly who will.
Rybakina could meet Sabalenka in the last four, while top seed Swiatek has just reached the quarter-finals for the very first time. Her prowess on grass may not be quite the level it is on hard or clay, but she already carries an aura that makes her a double-digit grand slam winner in the making. A first Wimbledon would take her halfway there.
Watch Christopher Eubanks
Yes, yes, the name, but do note the letter “s” at the end of the surname. Also note the fact Christopher Eubanks is brilliant to watch, a player who had Cameron Norrie on the ropes in their third-round meeting on Friday, hitting 63 winners to knock out the Briton, who praised the “unbelievable” American’s aggressive approach.
Eubanks is second for aces at Wimbledon, his 6ft 7in frame helping him send down 72 in three matches, but he is more than just a serving machine, with a one-handed backhand that booms when he times it right.
A recent winner of the Mallorca Open, too, Eubanks is quickly mastering a surface he called “stupid” only a month ago, and on Monday No 5 seed Stefanos Tsitsipas will know he must be at his best out on No 2 Court to beat the world No 43.
How to watch Wimbledon 2023
As is tradition, the BBC will show every match played at Wimbledon over the course of the next fortnight.
The tournament runs from Monday 3 July to Sunday 16 July and play will start at 11am most days, with coverage on BBC One, BBC Two and BBC iPlayer.
Multi-court coverage is also available to stream via BBC iPlayer, the red button, the BBC Sport website and app.
As for the highlights they can be found every evening on BBC Two and all of the above platforms from 8.30pm onwards.
Blockbuster Beatriz
Much like Djokovic’s potential obstacle further down, a shoutout for the box-office Beatriz Haddad Maia, who opens Centre Court on Monday against Rybakina.
Another routine win for defending champion Rybakina? Well, it depends which Haddad Maia turns up, and those with tickets for Centre will hope it’s the one that won titles in Nottingham and Birmingham last year.
She also made the French Open semi-finals last month, losing to eventual winner Swiatek, but endured a Wimbledon warm-up to forget when losing in the opening round at Nottingham before retiring hurt in her second match at Eastbourne.
“She’s a tricky player,” said Rybakina. “Also a lefty, not easy. She’s a fighter. It’s going to be a tough one for sure.”
Teenage sensation Mirra
Mirra Andreeva had never competed on grass, not even at junior level, before entering Wimbledon qualifying. Three wins there, and three more in the main draw later, and the 16-year-old sensation is certainly making a name for herself at SW19.
“I did not have any expectations. I just play,” said Andreeva, understating her own potential and then some.
Andreeva counts Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal among her inspirations, but has a soft spot for Andy Murray, too, calling him “beautiful” but then being too shy to speak to him at Wimbledon.
“I do enjoy the atmosphere, it is just amazing here,” she said after beating Anastasia Potapova on Sunday. “You see all the pro players, you see Djokovic, you see Murray… yes the atmosphere is great and I hope next year I will be in a different locker room (for the seeded players) that is the level above!”
The current world No 102, she is on the right course to make that the case, and faces No 25 seed Madison Keys on Monday on No 2 Court as she looks to continue her dream run.
Pegula on a mission
Sitting just below tennis’ Big Three is Jessica Pegula, and the American is quietly going about her business at Wimbledon this year, dropping just one set on her way to the quarter-finals.
She is in fact just the fifth female player from the USA to reach the last eight across all four slams in the last quarter-century, after Serena and Venus Williams, Madison Keys and Sloane Stephens.
The No 4 seed is yet to face a seeded player, and plays the unseeded Marketa Vondrousova in the last eight, the Czech who has battled past the No 12, 20 and 32 seeds to reach the quarters.
“I would definitely love to crash the Big Three party, if possible,” said Pegula. “That would be definitely a goal. I mean, those girls have been playing really well, but it’s pushing everyone to be better and to improve every week.”
Sinner the man to topple Djokovic?
An early tip on Monday is to expect Jannik Sinner to be playing in Friday’s semi-final. The Italian No 8 seed has dropped one set en route to the quarter-finals, and faces the unseeded Roman Safiullin next in his bid to make the last four.
Sinner featured alongside Alcaraz in what proved to be a controversial Wimbledon poster in the build-up to the tournament, signalling rivalries old and new. The pair have met three times, with their head-to-head level at 3-3, with Sinner winning their Wimbledon meeting in four sets last year.
It is another potential final in the offing, but one that would require Sinner to overcome Djokovic 12 months after he very nearly sent the Serbian crashing out.
Sinner won the first two sets of their quarter-final last year, but Djokovic hit back to win through 5-7, 2-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 in what proved the sternest test of his seventh Wimbledon triumph.
Watch out for winner of Jabeur-Kvitova
One is last year’s Wimbledon finalist, the other a two-time champion here, so while watching and enjoying Ons Jabeur’s Centre Court showdown with Petra Kvitova on Monday, remember both are forces capable of going the distance.
Jabeur came unstuck against Rybakina in the final last year, but the smile is back on the fan favourite’s face, bringing her box of tricks to Centre in Saturday’s win over Bianca Andreescu.
Kvitova, meanwhile, won Wimbledon in 2011 and 2014, and a recent grass-court title in Berlin suggests the No 9 seed could prove troublesome for Jabeur – and if she wins that, Rybakina or Haddad Maia next.
