(Football news) Embryonic talents and seasoned veterans will soon descend on the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club for the 138th edition of the Grand Slam. where Carlos Alcaraz and Barbora Krejcikova endeavour to retain the accolades they collected in 2024.
Here, let’s pick out some of the highlights from Friday’s draw ceremony.
Jack Draper, Jacob Fearnley handed challenging Wimbledon openers
By virtue of his number four seeding, British number one Jack Draper cannot meet Alcaraz or Jannik Sinner until at least the semi-finals, but the Indian Wells champion has nevertheless been dealt a tough opening opponent.
Draper’s first-round battle pits the world number four against Argentina’s Sebastian Baez, while compatriot Jacob Fearnley also faces a taxing task against Brazilian prodigy Joao Fonseca.
Fellow countrymen Dan Evans and Jay Clarke will also square off in an all-British first-round contest, as Cameron Norrie seeks to get the better of 37-year-old Spanish veteran Roberto Bautista Agut.
Other eye-catching contests involving home favourites include Billy Harris’s battle with Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz, while Grand Slam debutant Johannus Monday – ranked 232nd in the world – takes on 13th-ranked Tommy Paul of the USA.
Meanwhile, two-time defending champion Alcaraz begins his bid for a three-peat against Fabio Fognini, whose fellow Italians Sinner and Luca Nardi also collide first up.
Still on the hunt for Grand Slam title number 25, Novak Djokovic has been drawn to face France’s Alexandre Muller on what may be his final Wimbledon appearance.
Emma Raducanu faces all-British battle in Wimbledon opener
On the women’s singles side, the standout first-round match is no doubt the all-British affair between national number one Emma Raducanu and 17-year-old wild card Mingge Xu.
The 2007-born latter is making her senior Grand Slam main-draw debut at SW19, only a few weeks after her inaugural appearance at a WTA 250 event, reaching the last 16 at the Nottingham Open after a statement win over Katie Volynets.
Raducanu and Xu are two of 10 British women in the singles main draw, and former number one Katie Boulter faces a daunting opening scrap with ninth seed Paula Badosa, as does Heather Watson against Denmark’s Clara Tauson.
Sixteen-year-old Hannah Klugman – who reached the final of this year’s French Open juniors competition – also faces a baptism of fire against Leylah Fernandez, while Sonay Kartal meets Jelena Ostapenko in a big-hitting affair.
Klugman’s fellow 16-year-old Brit Mika Stojsavljevic has been drawn to face 31st seed Ashlyn Krueger, while Francesca Jones takes on Yuliia Starodubtseva, Harriet Dart meets Dalma Galfi and Jodie Burrage is up against Caty McNally.
Elsewhere, world number one Aryna Sabalenka kicks off her bid for a maiden Wimbledon honour against 197th-ranked qualifier Carson Branstine, and defending champion Krejcikova takes on the Philippines’ rising star Alexandra Eala.
