Wimbledon 2024 is just around the corner. Over the next two weeks, the All England Club will be buzzing with action as players battle it out (and sometimes the unpredictable English weather) to win the third Grand Slam tournament of the year.
If you’re looking to get ready for the next two weeks of tennis, you’ve come to the right place. Let’s take a look at the biggest storylines, key absences and the players you need to keep an eye on to get the most out of your SW19 viewing experience.
Notable absences
Rafael Nadal is saving themselves for the Olympics. Nadal knows he’s nearing the end of his career and wants to end things on his own terms and in his own way. His first-round loss at the French Open was heartbreaking, but it likely solidified his plans for the summer: skipping Wimbledon to be at full strength for the Olympics. With the Games in Paris later this month, Olympic tennis will be played on the red clay of Roland Garros, where Nadal has won a whopping 14 trophies. It’s not known if he plans to take his final bow as a professional tennis player at Roland Garros during the Olympics, but if so, there could be no better place.
Andy Murray tries to make one last big effort. Murray is, once again, out injured for a Grand Slam tournament. But this time it’s different. He underwent surgery 10 days ago to remove a cyst in his spine, but is still trying to achieve the Grand Slam that means more to him than any other. The Scot won the trophy in 2013, becoming the first man representing the United Kingdom to win on home soil in more than 70 years.
Murray, 37, is in the draw despite having surgery, and it’s almost certainly because he plans to finally hang up his racket in the coming months. He recently said he doesn’t see himself playing much after the summer, and this is his last chance to say goodbye to a place that has so much meaning to him.
Aryna Sabalenka withdraws on day 1. The 6-foot-1 Sabalenka will not compete at Wimbledon with her powerful game, having withdrawn on Monday due to a shoulder injury. Sabalenka is a tennis wrecking ball who can only defeat smaller opponents through strength, and her absence opens up the field in her part of the bracket. While Sabalenka will not be replaced as the No. 3 seed, she withdrew with enough time for organizers to call up lucky loser Erika Andreeva to face Emina Bektas, Sabalenka’s original opponent.
Main storylines
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Novak Djokovic plays and doesn’t hold back. Despite a torn meniscus that forced him to withdraw from the French Open and undergo surgery, Djokovic is playing at the All England Club. And he has no intention of slowing down, even with the Paris Olympics just around the corner. “I didn’t come here to play a few rounds,” Djokovic said recently. “I really want to go for the title. I don’t see myself holding back.”
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Carlos Alcaraz tries to repeat as champion. Alcaraz’s first major victory came at Wimbledon last year, which was a surprise considering he’s known for excelling on both clay and hard courts. But he defeated Djokovic in five sets and hasn’t looked back since, winning his first French Open trophy in June and in two weeks’ time he could be looking to lift a second straight Grand Slam trophy. Despite all that, Alcaraz landed as the No. 3 seed behind No. 1 Jannik Sinner (who won the 2024 Australian Open) and No. 2 Djokovic.
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Can Iga Swiatek break through on grass? Swiatek is a magician on clay, but she is not known for her grass skills. However, she has worked on her serve, which is a key to success on grass (and a key to beating other skilled grass players). She is the favorite to win, mainly due to her overall success (since June 2023, Iga has won three Grand Slam trophies), but if she has not improved her grass game appropriately, the field will be wide open.
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Anyone can win this tournament. If Swiatek can’t improve on her grass results from Wimbledon last year, then anyone can win. In the past seven years, Wimbledon has been won by six debutants. (Last year’s winner was unseeded Czech Marketa Vondrousova, who defeated Ons Jabeur. Jabeur would also have been a debutant.)
Top 10 seeds men
1. Jannik Sinner (Italy)
2. Novak Djokovic (Serbia)
3. Carlos Alcaraz (Spain)
4. Alexander Zverev (Germany)
5. Daniil Medvedev (Russia)
6. Andrei Rublev (Russia)
7. Hubert Hurkacz (Poland)
8. Casper Ruud (Norway)
9. Alex De Minaur (Australia)
10. Grigor Dimitrov (Bulgaria)
There are no men from the United States in the top 10, but three fall just outside. Tommy Paul, Taylor Fritz and Ben Shelton are ranked 12, 13 and 14 respectively.
Who should you keep an eye on in the men’s draw?
Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner. You could watch anyone, but why wait to see if an unseeded player can break out when you can watch tennis played at the intersection of the past and the future? Watching Alcaraz or Sinner (individually or against each other) is like watching a video game. They lean, they jump, they run, and all the while they take incredible and sometimes impossible-looking shots.
Even just looking at Alcaraz and Sinner, you’d never guess they were playing the same sport. Alcaraz is muscular and a bit stocky, while Sinner is a tall, lanky beanpole. And yet, when they play, you don’t just see the platonic ideal of a men’s tennis match; you see everything tennis is becoming and could be in the future. It’s deadly tennis, and it deserves to be seen.
Top 10 seeds of the women
1. Iga Swiatek (Poland)
2. Coco Gauff (USA)3. Aryna Sabalenka (Belarus)
4. Elena Rybakina (Kazakhstan)
5. Jessica Pegula (USA)
6. Marketa Vondrousova (Czech Republic)
7. Jasmine Paolini (Italy)
8. Qinwen Zheng (China)
9. Maria Sakkari (Greece)
10. Ons Jabeur (Tunisia)
Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula represent the United States in the top five, but just outside the top 10 are Danielle Collins at number 11 and Madison Keys at number 12.
Who should you keep an eye on in the women’s draw?
Coco Gauff. After reaching her first Grand Slam final at the French Open in 2023, Gauff has been a consistent top player and is improving with every match. She won her first Grand Slam trophy at last year’s US Open and is now ranked No. 2 in the world. She’s the hottest woman in American tennis right now, making the leap from teen phenom to full-blown superstar. There’s no better time to check her out.
Oh, and Gauff is also a doubles whiz. After years of moderate success and no trophies with longtime doubles partner Jess Pegula, she teamed up with Katerina Siniaková earlier this year. Together, they won their first doubles trophy at the French Open last month.
