Wimbledon 2021, Mon, 28 Jun 2021 – Sun, 11 Jul 2021
The Championships, Wimbledon, commonly known simply as Wimbledon or The Championships, is the oldest tennis tournament in the world and is widely regarded as the most prestigious. It has been held at the All England Club in Wimbledon, London, since 1877 and is played on outdoor grass courts, since 2009 with a retractable roof over Centre Court, and since 2019 over No. 1 Court.
Wimbledon is one of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments, the others being the Australian Open, the French Open and the US Open. Wimbledon is the only major still played on grass, which is the traditional tennis playing surface.
The tournament traditionally took place over two weeks in late June and early July, starting on the last Monday in June and culminating with the Ladies’ and Gentlemen’s Singles Finals, scheduled for the Saturday and Sunday at the end of the second week. However, changes to the tennis calendar in 2015 have seen the event moved back by a week to begin in early July. Five major events are held each year, with additional junior and invitational competitions also taking place.
Wimbledon traditions include a strict all-white dress code for competitors and royal patronage. Strawberries and cream are traditionally consumed at the tournament. In 2017, fans consumed 34,000 kg (33 imperial tons) of English strawberries and 10,000 litres (2,200 imperial gallons) of cream.
The tournament is also notable for the absence of sponsor advertising around the courts, with the exception of Rolex, which provides timekeeping technology during matches, and Robinsons barley water.
Players To Watch:
Andy Murray @80/1
With no competitive singles matches under his belt since March, Murray is coming into the grass season hoping to prove his fitness. He was originally scheduled to play in Nottingham last week but opted to pull out of that tournament and focus instead on Queen’s. Murray won Wimbledon in 2013 and 2016 but has struggled to stay on the court over the last year due to injury issues. “The question mark is obviously whether the body holds up,” said Murray ahead of his Queen’s opener against Benoit Paire on Tuesday. “I can’t say with any great certainty right now if that is going to happen, as I have been feeling good at different points throughout the past nine months, practised really well and felt good going into tournaments, and then something has happened, like in Miami [where he suffered injury on the eve of the tournament]. I hope I will be, because I have seen enough in practice that my tennis is fine and in a good place. But physically, I need to hold up while playing matches.”
Marin Cilic @66/1
Cilic ended a three-year wait for an ATP title as he beat Felix Auger-Aliassime in the Mercedes Cup final last week. The former Wimbledon finalist may not be the force he once was all-year round, but he served reminder of his grass prowess in Stuttgart as he didn’t drop a set all week and won 100 per cent of his first-serve points in three of his five matches. “Experience plays a big part, especially on grass,” he said after securing the 19th title of his career. “Winning here is a great way for me to continue my form and it gives me a good sign for Queen’s and Wimbledon.
Johanna Konta @50/1
British No 1 Konta has endured a difficult few year as she has battled injuries and struggled to produce consistent performances. However, she ended a four-year title drought with victory on the grass in Nottingham last week, becoming the first British women to win a WTA singles event in England since 1981. It was a welcome return to form for Konta, who had not previously won consecutive matches since last summer but has enjoyed success at Wimbledon. She made the semi-finals in 2017 and quarters in 2019, and might be hopeful of another good run this time around, especially with an extra week’s preparation than most of her rivals.
Ashleigh Barty @13/2
A hugely-promising clay season turned into a disappointing one in Paris for world No 1 Barty as she had to withdraw from her second-round match with a hip injury. Barty said the setback was “heart-breaking” but she is hopeful that she will be fit for Wimbledon, where she has been training ahead of the tournament. The 25-year-old is yet to make it past the fourth round at Wimbledon but showed she has the game for grass as she won the title in Birmingham in 2019 without dropping a set.
Best Wimbledon Betting Picks, Tennis Preview
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