Wimbledon 2024: Alcaraz and Sabalenka Set to Kick Off Campaigns

LONDON: Carlos Alcaraz is poised to commence his Wimbledon title defense against Italian competitor Fabio Fognini, while Aryna Sabalenka, the top-ranked female player, will inaugurate her campaign facing Canadian qualifier Carson Branstine.

According to the draw held on Friday at the All England Club, top-seeded Jannik Sinner will encounter fellow Italian Luca Nardi. Novak Djokovic, seeded sixth, is scheduled to begin his quest against Alexandre Muller, ranked 40th globally from France.

Barbora Krejcikova, the defending women’s champion, who recently withdrew from the Eastbourne Open quarterfinals due to a thigh injury, is slated to commence her tournament against Alexandra Eala representing the Philippines.

Coco Gauff, this year’s French Open victor and second seed, is set to compete against Dayana Yastremska from Ukraine in the initial round, while Jessica Pegula, the third seed, is scheduled to play Italian qualifier Elisabetta Cocciaretto.

Jasmine Paolini, seeded fourth and a finalist from the previous year, is prepared to face Anastasija Sevastova of Latvia.

Jack Draper, the fourth seed and Britain’s primary contender in the men’s division, is set to challenge Argentina’s Sebastian Baez, who is ranked 38th.

Emma Raducanu, the leading British female player, will start against Mingge (Mimi) Xu, one of the three British teenage wildcards participating in the women’s tournament.

Alcaraz, the Spaniard who recently secured the Queen’s Club title and has previously defeated Djokovic in two finals, aspires to become the fifth player in the Open Era to secure at least three consecutive Wimbledon titles, following in the footsteps of Bjorn Borg, Pete Sampras, Roger Federer, and Djokovic.

Alcaraz’s potential opponent in the semi-final is Alexander Zverev, the third seed from Germany, who will compete against Arthur Rinderknech from France in his opening match.

As the defending men’s champion, Alcaraz is scheduled to inaugurate his campaign on Centre Court on Monday, showcasing the bottom segment of the men’s draw and the top segment of the women’s draw.

Krejcikova from the Czech Republic is scheduled to commence her play on Centre Court on Tuesday.