Day 3 at The Championships sees the beginning of second round singles play, as well as the beginning of both men’s and women’s doubles play.  And a number of first round singles matches are also still to be completed due to rain on Tuesday.

Five years ago, Matteo Berrettini quickly rose throughthe tennis ranks and became Italy’s best player.  He is a three-time Major semifinalist, and even advanced to the championship match at the 2021 edition of The Championships.  But injuries have derailed his career the past two seasons, and in his absence, Jannik Sinner made his own surge, surpassing Berrettini’s achievements.  Across the past 12 months, Sinner has clearly been the best male singles player in the world, and won his first Major six months ago in Melbourne.  On Wednesday, Italy’s best will meet in a blockbuster second round matchup on Centre Court.

Also on Day 3, a pair of Major champions fighting to rediscover their top form after long absences, Naomi Osaka and Bianca Andreescu, play a pair of seeded players having breakout seasons in 2024: Emma Navarro and Linda Noskova, respectively.  Plus, two of the sport’s most popular elder statesmen, Stan Wawrinka and Gael Monfils, will face off in the second round. 

Other second round singles action on Wednesday includes Major champions Carlos Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev, Coco Gauff, and Emma Raducanu.

Throughout the tournament, this preview will analyze the day’s four most prominent matches, while highlighting the other notable matches on the schedule.  Wednesday’s play begins at 11:00am local time.

Bianca Andreescu vs. Linda Noskova (26) – Second on Court 18

This is just the fourth tournament since last August for the perpetually-injured Andreescu.  The latest setback for the 2019 US Open champ was a back injury.  However, she has quickly rounded back into some impressive form.  Bianca won two rounds of her first event back at Roland Garros, then advanced to the final of ‘s-Hertogenbosch on grass, after defeating Naomi Osaka in the quarterfinals.

19-year-old Noskova’s breakout moment took place six months ago in Melbourne, where she upset World No.1 Iga Swiatek in the third round.  However, Linda has struggled mightily since that quarterfinal run, as she hasn’t won back-to-back matches since February.   

Both players won their opening rounds in straights, so they’ll be fresh for their first career meeting.  And despite missing most of the past year, I favor Andreescu on Wednesday, as she’s won more matches within just the past six weeks than Noskova has within the last three months.

Naomi Osaka (WC) vs. Emma Navarro (19) – Second on Centre Court

Osaka is now 16-12 since returning from maternity leave at the beginning of the year.  And while a big result is yet to come, she’s been right on the verge of one, especially in Paris where she was just one point away from upsetting eventual champion Iga Swiatek.  On Monday, Naomi earned her first victory at Wimbledon since 2019, in a three-setter against Diane Parry of France.

Navarro got off to an excellent start in 2024, going 20-7 between January and March, and winning a title in Hobart.  That came on the heels of winning 64 matches at all levels in 2023.  Her results have simmered a bit the last few months, though she did achieve a semifinal just last week on grass in Bad Homburg.  Emma dropped only two games in the first round against Qiang Wang of China.

In another first-time meeting on the day, I give the edge to the power of Osaka.  While grass is not her strongest surface, Navarro is far from an expert on it either, having played just 11 tour-level matches on grass in her career. 

Stan Wawrinka vs. Gael Monfils – Third on No.2 Court

Wimbledon is by far the weakest Major in the long careers of both 39-year-old Wawrinka and 37-year-old Monfils.  And neither arrive at SW19 in strong form: Stan is just 4-8 this season at tour level, while Gael had lost six of his last nine matches before a semifinal run last week in Mallorca.  However, both are yearning for just a little bit more Grand Slam glory in the twilight of their storied careers.

On Monday, Wawrinka won in straight sets over a British wild card ranked 248^th in the world.  Monfils required four sets to prevail, but he faced much more considerable opposition in the 22^nd seed, Adrian Mannarino.  Stan is looking to reach the third round of The Championships for the second straight year, while Gael has not done so since 2018.

Their history dates all the way back to 2007, and they have split six prior encounters.  Based on the Frenchman’s grass court form this past week, I favor Monfils to claim this battle of veterans.  His speed remains a huge weapon, and will force Wawrinka to hit a lot of extra shots.  Plus, Stan is mostly lacking in confidence with so few wins in his recent past.

Jannik Sinner (1) vs. Matteo Berrettini – Third on Centre Court

Since the beginning of The Championships a year ago, Sinner is an astounding 71-8, with seven singles titles.  And that doesn’t include leading Italy to a Davis Cup crown at the end of last season.  It all started with achieving his first Major semifinal 12 months ago in London.  In the opening round on Monday, he overcame a tough first round draw, Yannick Hanfmann, in four sets.

Berrettini also prevailed in four sets in his opening round, against a tough draw of his own, former Wimbledon quarterfinalist Marton Fucsovics.  However, Matteo was treated during that match for a back issue.  Injuries continue to plague the career of the 28-year-old, as this is just his sixth tour-level event since suffering a bad ankle injury at last summer’s US Open.  He’s now 5-2 on grass on 2024.

Their only previous meeting occurred this past August in Canada, where Sinner won 6-4, 6-3.  Berrettini is the more accomplished grass court player, but he’ll need to serve a significantly high percentage of first serves to prevent the World No.1 from attacking with his penetrating return game.  And with Matteo light on matches and still not 100% healthy, Jannik is the favorite to advance.

Other Notable Matches on Wednesday:

Anca Todoni (Q) vs. Coco Gauff (2) – Gauff dropped just three games in the first round, at the only Major where she is yet to reach a quarterfinal in singles.  Todoni is a 19-year-old Romanian qualifier who on Monday won her first-ever match at a Major. 

Alexandre Muller vs. Daniil Medvedev (5) – Medvedev also won comfortably in his opening round, and has won his last 19 second round matches at Slams.  Muller’s victory on Monday was only the second of his career in the main draw of a grass court tournament.

Carlos Alcaraz (3) vs. Aleksandar Vukic – Alcaraz started his title defense with a straight-set win to open Centre Court play on Day 1.  By contrast, Vukic required a fifth-set tiebreak to get past Sebastian Ofner on an outer court.

Emma Raducanu (WC) vs. Elise Mertens – Raducanu is vying to reach the third round of a Major for the first time since her 2021 US Open title run, as she’s lost her last five matches in this round at this level.  Mertens once had an 18-match win streak in this round of Majors, and she’s advanced to the championship match of Wimbledon in women’s doubles the last three years.

Wednesday’s full Order of Play is here.

Day 2 at The Championships is scheduled to host the completion of first round singles play.

Five-time Major champion Iga Swiatek faces a potentially risky opening round draw on Tuesday, in 2020 Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin, who a year ago upset Coco Gauff in this same round.  At the only Major where Swiatek is yet to reach the semifinals, and coming off an extremely successful yet grueling clay court season, is Iga ripe for an upset on her weakest surface?

Other first round action on Day 2 features both of last year’s women’s singles finalists: the champion Marketa Vondrousova, and the two-time runner-up, Ons Jabeur.  Plus, Major champs Elena Rybakina, Angelique Kerber, and Caroline Wozniacki will all play their opening contests.  And Jelena Ostapenko will reignite a prickly rivalry with Ajla Tomljanovic.

Tuesday’s ATP schedule is headlined by seven-time champion Novak Djokovic, who will play his first match since undergoing knee surgery just a few short weeks ago.  And another injured champion, Andy Murray, is scheduled to take to the singles court at Wimbledon for what may be the last time.  The two-time champion had a minor procedure on his injured back just over a week ago, but is aiming to play both singles and doubles in what he has announced will be his last year playing at The Championships.

Throughout the tournament, this preview will analyze the day’s four most prominent matches, while highlighting the other notable matches on the schedule.  Tuesday’s play begins at 11:00am local time.

Sebastian Korda (20) vs. Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard (LL) – 11:00am on Court 16

This is a tough first round draw for the surging American, who just debuted inside the top 20 after reaching the final of ‘s-Hertogenbosch, as well as the semifinals of Queen’s Club.  Mpetshi Perricard is an extremely impressive 20-year-old Frenchman who stands at six feet, eight inches tall.  Just six weeks ago in Lyon, which was only his fourth tour-level event, Giovanni won his first ATP Title.  And two weeks ago at Queen’s Club, he upset Ben Shelton in straight sets.

Meptshi Perricard has a big serve, and can also crush the ball from the back of the court.  His game is well-suited for the grass of SW19.  But Korda certainly has the edge in experience.  He advanced to the second week of this event back in 2021, though a year ago he was upset in the first round by Jiri Vesely.

Sebi has struggled to rediscover his form since suffering a wrist injury at the 2023 Australian Open, yet his recent results on grass suggest he finally is.  I favor Korda to prevail in what should be a fascinating first round contest to start the day.

Ajla Tomljanovic (WC) vs. Jelena Ostapenko (13) – Second on Court 12

Three years ago after their third round match at this tournament, these players shared a contentious exchange at the net.  Tomljanovic won 6-2 in the third, but not before Ostapenko took a medical timeout late in the third set, leading to Ajla accusing Jelena of faking.  Jelena then scolded Ajla for her “terrible behavior.” 

But that remains Tomljanovic’s sole victory over Ostapenko, as Jelena has taken their other three meetings.  That includes another three-setter this past January at the Australian Open, though Ajla was coming off a prolonged absence during 2023 due to a knee injury.  The Australian is just 6-7 this season, as she missed more time due to a health issue.  But she reached the final of Birmingham just two weeks ago.

Ostapenko got off to a great start to her 2024, winning titles in both Adelaide and Linz.  However, she went just 1-2 on grass in June.  Jelena is as streaky and unpredictable as they come, but I give her the slight edge on Tuesday based on recent form, as well as their sorted history.

Iga Swiatek (1) vs. Sofia Kenin – Last on No.1 Court

Swiatek is a superb 45-4 on the year, though as usual, she arrives at The All-England Club without playing a match on grass.  It’s understandable considering she played 22 matches on clay within a two-month period, but it’s far from ideal preparation for a surface she’s still trying to figure out.  However, Iga did win the girls’ title here back in 2018, so winning on grass is not a completely foreign concept to her.

It’s been a rough season for Kenin, as the 2020 WTA Player of the Year is 7-16 at all levels.  She is yet to rediscover the tennis that propelled her to the finals of two Majors just four years ago.  However, a month ago in Paris, she reminded us how capable she is of upsetting top names at any time, when she eliminated French No.1 Caroline Garcia.  And Sofia has never lost in the first round of Wimbledon.

Swiatek is 2-0 against Kenin, with both victories coming in straight sets.  Those matches took place in the championship match of Roland Garros in 2020, and the first round of this year’s Australian Open.  On Tuesday, I favor Iga to make it 3-0 against Sofia, and I would not be surprised to see Swiatek make a deep run this year at The Championships, in a quarter of the draw that looks rather open.

Andy Murray vs. Tomas Machac – Last on Centre Court

We will not know until Tuesday morning if Andy Murray will indeed play this match, as he continues to rehab the back injury he suffered less than two weeks ago at Queen’s Club.  And that came on the heels of rupturing ligaments in his left ankle earlier this season in Miami.  This was all a less-than-ideal way to prepare for his 16^th and final appearance at his home Slam and favorite event, where he has achieved such history for British tennis.

His opponent on Tuesday is the same one he injured his ankle against in Miami.  Machac is in the midst of a breakout season, as the 23-year-old cut his ranking in half between January and June, from No.78 to No.34.  Tomas defeated Andy in a third-set tiebreak on his way to the Miami quarterfinals, a run that also featured a victory over Andrey Rublev.  Two months later, Machac was a finalist in Geneva on clay.

If Murray takes to the court, this would actually be their third meeting of 2024, as Tomas also defeated Andy this past February in Marseille.  Hopefully Murray is able to play, and can do so without doing any further damage to his back, as that would risk his plan to play doubles this fortnight with brother Jamie.  But considering Sir Andy’s tenuous condition, Machac must be favored to earn his first-ever win at The All-England Club.

Other Notable Matches on Tuesday:

Elena Rybakina (4) vs. Elena-Gabriela Ruse (Q) – The 2022 champion withdrew from two different grass court lead-up events, citing illness and scheduling changes.  Two years ago in Miami, she defeated Ruse 6-4, 7-5.

Jessica Bouzas Maneiro vs. Marketa Vondrousova (6) – The 2023 champion withdrew from Berlin due to a hip injury after falling on the grass, but says she’s feeling good, and is ready to defend her title.  Bouzas Maneiro is a 21-year-old from Spain looking for her first win at a Major.

Roberto Carballes Baena vs. Alexander Zverev (4) – After failing to win his first Major three weeks ago in Paris, despite being one set away from doing so for the second time in his career, Zverev lost in the semifinals of Halle to Hubert Hurkacz.  Carballes Baena is just 1-5 lifetime at Wimbledon.

Vit Kopriva (Q) vs. Novak Djokovic (2) – Just how healthy is Novak’s knee following the procedure he had after injuring it during Roland Garros?  Kopriva is a 27-year-old qualifier from the Czech Republic who is 0-1 in the main draw of Slams.

Yulia Putintseva vs. Angelique Kerber (WC) – The 2018 champion is just 7-13 since returning from maternity leave, but she’s won her last 10 first round matches at The Championships.  Putintseva claimed a grass court title just over a week ago in Birmingham, though she is 1-2 against Angie.

Caroline Wozniacki (WC) vs. Alycia Parks (Q) – Wozniacki is 13-12 since unretiring last summer, and suffered a knee injury last week in Bad Homburg after winning two matches.  Parks is a big-hitting 23-year-old American qualifier who is currently on an eight-match grass court win streak, though all those matches occurred either at ITF level or during qualifying last week.

Ons Jabeur (10) vs. Moyuka Uchijima – Jabeur has been the runner-up in consecutive years at SW19, despite being the pre-match favorite in both of those finals.  She went 4-2 on grass during the month of June.  Uchijima is a 22-year-old from Japan who is just 3-6 lifetime on this surface at all levels.

Felix Auger-Aliassime (17) vs. Thanasi Kokkinakis – Auger-Aliassime was a quarterfinalist here in 2021, yet has lost in the first round in both of the last two years.  He also lost in the first round of Halle two weeks ago.  Kokkinakis is only 1-3 lifetime at this tournament.

Tuesday’s full Order of Play is here.

Day 1 at The Championships is one of the most special days of the tennis year, with play commencing at the sport’s most historic tournament, on the nearly-pristine green grass of The All-England Club.

As tradition dictates, the defending gentlemen’s singles champion opens Centre Court play on Day 1 of the fortnight.  And for the first time, that man is Carlos Alcaraz, who defeated four-time defending champion Novak Djokovic a year ago in five sets, and is coming off his third Major title just three weeks ago in Paris.

Monday’s schedule also includes 2024’s other Major winner in men’s singles, Jannik Sinner, as the top seed finds himself in the same half of the draw as third-seeded Alcaraz.  In addition, Daniil Medvedev, a semifinalist here a year ago, also plays his first round match on Day 1, as will 2021 runner-up Matteo Berrettini.

WTA play on Monday is headlined by two other reigning Major champions: Coco Gauff and Aryna Sabalenka.  Another pair of Slam champs, Victoria Azarenka and Sloane Stephens, will square off in the opening round on Day 1.  Plus, the 2021 US Open champion, Britain’s Emma Raducanu, takes on Ekaterina Alexandrova, who is one of only four players to defeat World No.1 Iga Swiatek during the first six months of 2024.  And four-time Major champ Naomi Osaka will play her first match at Wimbledon since 2019.

Throughout the tournament, this preview will analyze the day’s four most prominent matches, while highlighting the other notable matches on the schedule.  Monday’s play begins at 11:00am local time.

Matteo Arnaldi vs. Frances Tiafoe (29) – 11:00am on Court 15

This is the most intriguing first-on match of the day.  Tiafoe was a US Open quarterfinalist less than two years ago, and reached the quarters of that same event last summer.  But since leaving New York, where he was upset by fellow American Ben Shelton, Frances has not been the same player.  He is just 13-15 on the year, and arrives at SW19 having not won consecutive matches in three months.

Arnaldi is a 23-year-old Italian who recently achieved a career-high ranking of No.34, and in Paris advanced to the second week of a Major for the second time out of the last three Slams  He upset Andrey Rublev in the third round of Roland Garros, the third top 10 win of his young career.  However, Matteo is only 1-2 lifetime on grass at tour level.

Though In their first career meeting, an upset would be far from shocking.  Arnaldi’s complete lack of experience on this surface is rivaled by Tiafoe’s complete lack of confidence.  And Matteo possesses a formidable forehand with a short backswing, an asset on the fast-playing lawns of Wimbledon.

Matteo Berrettini vs. Marton Fucsovics – Second on Court 12

Another Italian Matteo headlines another of Monday’s most interesting contests, and this Matteo went all the way to the championship match of this tournament just three years ago.  Berrettini loves playing on grass: four of his eight career ATP titles have come on this surface.  But the perpetual issue in the 28-year-old’s career is staying healthy.  The big man’s body has failed him multiple times in recent years, and he’s played only 14 tour-level matches since suffering a gruesome ankle injury at last year’s US Open.

The best Slam result of Fucsovics’ career came at this same event in the same year Berrettini reached the final.  Marton was a quarterfinalist in 2021, thanks to upsets over three top 20 seeds (Sinner, Schwartzman, Rublev).  But the Hungarian veteran is just 11-9 at ATP level this season, and did not play a grass court warmup event.

By contrast, Berrettini played two, highlighted by a run to the final of Stuttgart.  And even though Fucsovics claimed their only prior ATP encounter, that came over five years ago, prior to the Italian discovering his best tennis.  This is another case where I favor the Italian player named Matteo to advance.

Ekaterina Alexandrova (22) vs. Emma Raducanu (WC) – Second on Centre Court

Centre Court’s closest match of the day will likely be this one.  Just within the past week in Eastbourne, Raducanu has played perhaps her best tennis since winning the US Open in 2021.  She clobbered Sloane Stephens 6-4, 6-0, before earning the first top 10 victory of her career over another American, Jessica Pegula.  Emma even saved a match point before prevailing over Jess.

A year ago at this tournament, Alexandrova advanced to the second week of a Major for the first time.  She also won back-to-back grass court titles in 2022 and 2023, both in ‘s-Hertogenbosch.  And earlier this season in Miami, which plays at a similar court speed to that of Wimbledon, Ekaterina reached the semifinals, with wins over both Swiatek and Pegula.

Raducanu and Alexandrova have never played before, and Emma will certainly benefit from an overwhelming amount of crowd support.  However, that also comes with a lot of pressure and expectation, especially after such strong wins just a few days prior.  I give Alexandrova the slight edge on Monday.

Victoria Azarenka (16) vs. Sloane Stephens – Last on No.2 Court

These are two hard court Major champions who have not advanced to the quarterfinals of this event in about a decade.  Azarenka is a two-time semifinalist here, but hasn’t gone that far in 12 years.  Stephens’ sole quarterfinal appearance occurred in 2015.

During 2024, Vika has been the better player.  She is 24-11, and recently reached the semifinals of Berlin on this surface.  Stephens is just 18-16, and went just 1-2 on grass in June. 

Their rivalry dates back to a contentious semifinal at the 2013 Australian Open, when Azarenka took a nearly 10-minute medical timeout late in the match, and was subsequently accused of doing so for the purpose of disrupting Stephens’s momentum.  Overall Vika is 5-4 against Sloane, and while they have never played on grass, recent form dictates Azarenka be considered the favorite.

Other Notable Matches on Monday:

Carlos Alcaraz (3) vs. Mark Lajal (Q) – After winning his third Major in Paris, Alcaraz spent some time partying in Ibiza, then lost his second match at Queens Club in straight sets to Great Britain’s Jack Draper.  Lajal is a 21-year-old Estonian qualifier making his Major debut, and took to Instagram on Friday to boldly proclaim that Carlitos would be losing in the first round of Wimbledon.

Aleksandar Kovacevic vs. Daniil Medvedev (3) – Medvedev is 28-9 in 2024, but is yet to reach a semifinal this year on clay or grass.  Kovacevic is a 25-year-old American who is just 1-3 in the main draw of Slams. 

Gael Monfils vs. Adrian Mannarino (22) – This past week in Mallorca, Monfils advanced to the semifinals, losing to eventual champion Alejandro Tabilo in a third-set tiebreak.  Mannarino is a meager 8-17 on the season, and arrives on a three-match losing streak on grass.  In this battle of veteran Frenchmen, Gael leads their head-to-head 5-2, though they are 1-1 at SW19.

Emina Bektas vs. Aryna Sabalenka (3) – Sabalenka comes into this fortnight at less than 100%, as she pulled out of Berlin last week with a shoulder injury, which she told the media this week is still bothering her.  Bektas is a 31-year-old American looking for her first victory at a Major.

Naomi Osaka (WC) vs. Diane Parry – Osaka is only 4-3 lifetime at The Championships, and is 15-12 on the year, after going 2-2 on grass between ‘s-Hertogenbosch and Berlin.  Parry is a 21-year-old from France who debuted inside the top 50 earlier this season, and is coming off a semifinal run on grass in Nottingham. 

Caroline Dolehide vs. Coco Gauff (2) – Gauff is now 32-10 this year, and was a grass court semifinalist in Berlin.  It was a first-round loss at this tournament a year ago to fellow American Sofia Kenin that prompted Coco to make changes to her team, which helped propel her to her first Major title just two months later in New York.  Dolehide is another fellow American who was a surprise finalist at last fall’s WTA 1000 event in Guadalajara, where she herself defeated Kenin in the semifinals.  Coco has taken both of their prior matches in straight sets.

Jannik Sinner (1) vs. Yannick Hanfmann – Sinner is a superb 38-3 on the season, and just won his first grass court title last week in Halle.  Unlike the last Major, Jannik arrives at this one fully healthy, which means trouble for the field.  In the first round of the 2023 US Open, he comfortably defeated Hanfmann in straights.

Paula Badosa vs. Karolina Muchova – This is only Muchova’s second tournament since last year’s US Open due to a wrist injury, and she withdrew midway through her first event back this past week in Eastbourne.  Badosa is another player whose career has been derailed by injury, as she missed the last half of last season, and is just 13-12 since returning.  They have split their two previous matchups, though Muchova’s victory came three years ago at this event.

Monday’s full Order of Play is here.