Tennis makes its long-awaited return to Wimbledon today, as the only grass-court Grand Slam gets underway in southwest London.
The sport's most prestigious tournament was the only one of the four majors not to be played last year because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Fresh from winning the French Open two weeks ago, world No. 1 and defending champion Novak Djokovic looks highly likely to equal the all-time record of 20 Grand Slam singles titles held by Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.
Djokovic arrives at the tournament as the bookmakers' favorite, particularly after Nadal opted to pull out of Wimbledon and the Olympics to rest after a grueling clay-court season. Federer, who will turn 40 less than a month after the tournament ends, will be hoping to end a three-year wait for a Grand Slam title and win a first Wimbledon since 2017.
"The level of confidence is pretty high," Djokovic told the BBC.
"Roland Garros took a lot out of me—mentally, physically and emotionally. It also granted me with an incredible amount of positive energy and confidence that created a wave I'm trying to ride.
"I love being here. It has always been a dream tournament for me, from when I was a seven-year-old dreaming to win Wimbledon."
Meanwhile, Serena Williams resumes her quest for a record-equalling 24th Grand Slam singles titles after finishing runner-up at Wimbledon in 2018 and 2019.
Her bid to win a first Wimbledon crown since 2016 could be made slightly easier by the absence of world No. 3 Simona Halep, who Williams lost to in the final two years ago, and world No. 2 Naomi Osaka.
Here's everything you need to know about the 134th edition of the oldest tennis tournament.
When is Wimbledon?
The tournament begins on Monday, June 28, and runs for two weeks. The women's singles final is scheduled for Saturday, July 10, with the men's final taking place the following day.
How to watch Wimbledon on TV
The tournament will be broadcast exclusively across ESPN channels. Coverage on Monday begins at 6 a.m. ET on ESPN and runs until 11:30 a.m. ET, before switching to ESPN2 from 11:30 a.m. ET until 4:30 p.m. ET.
The schedule will remain unchanged throughout the first two rounds, with the exception of Wednesday and Thursday, when coverage will run on ESPN from 6 a.m ET to 4:30 p.m. ET.
The complete TV schedule is broken down below.
How to watch Wimbledon online
Fans can watch the action online via ESPN3, ESPN+ as well as via the WatchESPN app. The tournament will also be available via streaming services like fuboTV and Sling TV, which carry ESPN channels.
Wimbledon 2021 TV schedule
All times ET
First round—Monday, June 28 and Tuesday, June 29
- 6 a.m.—11:30 a.m., ESPN
- 11:30 a.m.—4:30 p.m., ESPN2
Second round—Wednesday, June 30 and Thursday, July 1
- 6 a.m.—4:30 p.m., ESPN
Third round—Friday, July 2 and Saturday, July 3
- 6 a.m.—11:30 a.m., ESPN (Friday)
- 11:30 a.m.—4:30 p.m., ESPN2 (Friday)
- 8 a.m.—11:30 a.m., ESPN
- 11:30 a.m.—2 p.m., ESPN2
- 2 p.m.—5 p.m., ESPN
Round of 16—Monday, July 5
- 6 a.m.—4 p.m., ESPN2
- 8 a.m.—4 p.m., ESPN
Women's and Men's Quarterfinals—Tuesday, July 6, and Wednesday, July 7
- 8 a.m.—2:30 p.m., ESPN
- 8 a.m.—4 p.m., ESPN2
Women's semifinals—Thursday, July 8
- 8 a.m.—1 p.m., ESPN
Men's semifinals—Friday, July 9
- 8 a.m.—2 p.m., ESPN
Women's final—Saturday, July 10
- 9 a.m.—3 p.m., ESPN
Men's final—Sunday, July 11
- 9 a.m.— 2:30 p.m., ESPN
Who are the top seeds at Wimbledon?
World No. 1 Novak Djokovic is the top seed at Wimbledon, but the men's tournament will be shorn of two of the top-five ranked players in the world after Rafael Nadal and Dominic Thiem pulled out of the tournament.
The Spaniard opted out of Wimbledon to recover from the arduous clay-court season, while the Austrian suffered a wrist injury last week.
World No. 2 Daniil Medvedev is the second seed, while Stefanos Tsitsipas and Alexander Zverev—the world No. 4 and No. 6 respectively—are the third and fourth seeds. Roger Federer enters the tournament as the No. 6 seed.
The women's tournament will also be missing two of the top-five ranked players, with world No. 2 Naomi Osaka still on a voluntary hiatus, while world No. 3 Simona Halep won't defend her title after suffering a calf injury last week.
World No. 1 Ashleigh Barty is the top seed, with Belarus' Aryna Sabalenka and Ukraine's Elina Svitolina the No. 2 and No. 3 seeds, respectively. Like Federer, Serena Williams is the No. 6 seed.
When are Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer playing?
Djokovic begins the defense of his title at 8:30 a.m. ET on Monday when he takes on British qualifier Jack Draper.
Federer, meanwhile, makes his debut Tuesday against France's Adrian Mannarino.
Wimbledon 2021 odds
Unsurprisingly, Novak Djokovic is the bookmakers' choice to win the tournament. The world No. 1 is a 4-5 favorite with William Hill and DraftKings, with Daniil Medvedev and Stefanos Tsitsipas at 7-1 and 8-1, respectively.
Roger Federer is a 10-1 outsider to win a 21st Grand Slam title, followed by Alexander Zverev at 14-1.
In the women's tournament, Ashleigh Barty is a 6-1 favorite to win her first Wimbledon crown with William Hill and DraftKings, followed by Serena Williams at 13-2 and Aryna Sabalenka at 10-1.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Dan Cancian is currently a reporter for Newsweek based in London, England. Prior to joining Newsweek in January 2018, he ... Read more
