Play is underway! And Medvedev has questions...

New York Times

5 hours ago

Follow live coverage of the opening day at SW19 as champions Carlos Alcaraz and Barbora Krejčíková begin their title defences Getty Images
The 2025 Wimbledon Championships are up and running, with two-time defending men's champion Carlos Alcaraz currently in action on Centre Court.
Alcaraz took the first set but veteran Fabio Fognini has since claimed the second. Meanwhile, women's world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka is already into the second round — beating Canada's Carson Branstine 6-1, 7-5 on No. 1 Court.
U.S. 12th seed Frances Tiafoe dispatched Elmer Møller in straight sets but men's ninth seed Daniil Medvedev is out after losing in four to Benjamin Bonzi, while Stefanos Tsitsipas (24) retired with a back issue after two sets against Valentin Royer.
Brit Emma Raducanu features later on a bright and hot first day, with little chance of rain interruptions and temperatures reaching 90F (32C). Watch: BBC (UK), ESPN (U.S.)
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How Wimbledon gets its grass courts, flowers and tennis balls ready for Grand Slam action
Clearly we should get tucking into the tennis too — because the action is underway!
Daniil Medvedev is among the first to get going, as the ninth seed prepares to tackle Benjamin Bonzi on Court 2.
He has a lot of questions for the umpire at the net too, mostly revolving around towels, balls, whether he will need a water bottle and is there still water available.
Makes you think how disorientating it must be when you begin at a tournament.
As for the stars, former footballer and Inter Miami owner David Beckham is here today.
Apparently he's looking 'dapper' according to the broadcast I have on beside me, which seems to be the default description for him these days.
And for the record, he definitely does. I will endeavor to find photo proof before the day is done.
It's not quite the shops opening on Black Friday, but it's still a big point in the Wimbledon fortnight.
The gates are open and the spectators are filtering in. Getty Images
Tennis (and sporting) legend Roger Federer has won the most men's singles titles of all time here.
His eight championships include an astounding five in a row from 2003 to 2007, and six in seven years with his 2009 title — before more in 2012 and 2017.
Among those with seven, Novak Djokovic could draw level with Federer if he succeeds this year. He currently sits alongside Pete Sampras and William Renshaw.
If Carlos Alcaraz wins his third trophy in a row at SW19, only nine men in history and five in the Open Era will have won more. Getty Images
Martina Navratilova is peerless when it comes to women's singles titles at Wimbledon.
The Czech-American has nine of them, with an astounding six straight from 1982 to 1987.
Helen Wills Moody is second on eight with Serena Williams, Steffi Graf and Dorothea Lambert Chambers all on seven.
Among current players, only two-time champion Petra Kvitová (2011, 2014) has won more than once on the hallowed grass of Centre Court.
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Two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova will retire from tennis after U.S. Open Getty Images
No doubt everyone out there is wondering what the weather is going to be like for the opening day at Wimbledon.
Well, the good news is it's looking dry — and HOT.
The temperature is already at 27C (81F) in south London and is likely to hit a high of 32C (90F) come the midday sun, which is likely to be broken by only occasional cloud.
There will be a mild southerly wind, with basically zero chance of rain.
No need for those roofs today, guys! Getty Images
There is some serious history behind the trophies received by the two Wimbledon singles champions.
The men's singles trophy was first presented in 1887 — cup-shaped and standing 18 inches high, with a diameter of 7.5 inches.
A for the women's singles trophy, that was first presented a year earlier — dish-shaped with a mythological theme, it is known as the Rosewater Dish or Venus Rosewater Dish.
The winner of both will receive a three-quarter size replica bearing the names of all past champions. Getty Images
This year at Wimbledon the singles champions take home a pretty tasty prize pot.
Both the men's and women's singles champion will win an equal prize pot of £3million each.
That would set up the summer pretty nicely… Getty Images
As for the men's top seeds in each singles draw… Seed 1: Jannik Sinner (vs. Luca Nardi)
(vs. Luca Nardi) 2: Carlos Alcaraz (vs. Fabio Fognini)
(vs. Fabio Fognini) 3: Alexander Zverev (vs. Arthur Rinderknech)
(vs. Arthur Rinderknech) 4: Jack Draper (vs. Sebástian Báez)
(vs. Sebástian Báez) 5: Taylor Fritz (vs. Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard)
(vs. Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard) 6: Novak Djokovic (vs. Alexandre Muller)
(vs. Alexandre Muller) 7: Lorenzo Musetti (vs. Nikoloz Basilashvili)
(vs. Nikoloz Basilashvili) 8: Holger Rune (vs. Nicolas Jarry)
(vs. Nicolas Jarry) 9: Daniil Medvedev (vs. Benjamin Bonzi)
(vs. Benjamin Bonzi) 10: Ben Shelton (vs. Alex Bolt) Getty Images
Let's start by rattling through the top 10 seeds in each singles draw. Here is how it looks for the women, alongside their first-round opponent. Seed 1: Aryna Sabalenka (vs. Carson Branstine)
(vs. Carson Branstine) 2: Coco Gauff (vs. Dayana Yastremska)
(vs. Dayana Yastremska) 3: Jessica Pegula (vs. Elisabetta Cocciaretto)
(vs. Elisabetta Cocciaretto) 4: Jasmine Paolini (vs. Anastasija Sevastova)
(vs. Anastasija Sevastova) 5: Zheng Qinwen (vs. Kateřina Siniaková)
(vs. Kateřina Siniaková) 6: Madison Keys (vs. Elena-Gabriela Ruse)
(vs. Elena-Gabriela Ruse) 7: Mirra Andreeva (vs. Mayar Sherif)
(vs. Mayar Sherif) 8: Iga Świątek (vs. Polina Kudermetova)
(vs. Polina Kudermetova) 9: Paula Badosa (vs. Katie Boulter)
(vs. Katie Boulter) 10: Emma Navarro (vs. Petra Kvitová) Getty Images
Good day to you all again, and welcome to our extensive coverage of the 2025 Wimbledon Championships.
We will be with you throughout this third Grand Slam of the year, starting today with the opening first-round matches in both the men's and women's singles draws. You will find the full order of play for today below.
In the meantime we have an hour to continue the build-up, and we will take you through some of the seedings and contenders.
Thanks again for joining us. If the fun in Paris last month is anything to go by, this is going to be a great ride. Getty Images
Wimbledon begins today and the draws for the men's and women's singles are intriguing, while also throwing up some blockbuster first-round matches.
Novak Djokovic goes in pursuit of his 25th Grand Slam title, while defending champion Carlos Alcaraz seeks the French Open, Queen's and Wimbledon treble that has not been done since 2008.
On the women's side, world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka enters as favorite after missing two recent editions, while 2023 champion Markéta Vondroušová is in form and ready to rekindle her fire in south-west London.
The Athletic's tennis writers, Matthew Futterman and Charlie Eccleshare, analyze the match-ups and offer some of their picks for the best matches of the opening days. The Athletic
We'd love to hear from you ahead of the 2025 Championships getting underway in little over an hour.
Who do you think is going to win this year? Who will be the most successful British and American players? And is Wimbledon your favourite Grand Slam of the season?
Let us know by emailing [e-mail]. Getty Images
Arguably, it's the most famous tennis court in the world.
It is the main showpiece court, only ever used at the Wimbledon Championships (apart from the 2012 London Olympic Games), and has a capacity of 14,979.
Distinguished guests sit in the Royal Box, with a 3,000-tonne retractable roof installed in 2009.
The inscription above the entrance quotes Rudyard Kipling's poem 'If': 'If you can meet with triumph and disaster, and treat those two impostors just the same.'
Wise words for anyone playing on it.
Neil Stubley, Wimbledon's head of courts and horticulture, is the man in charge of keeping the tennis courts pristine as he enters his 30th tournament.
He and his team of 18, which grows to 31 during the event, are responsible for 'anything that grows' — including weeds.
💬 'Every day we test the ball bounce height and the hardness of the surface,' Stubley says.
'If they're getting too hard, we can add a little more water. If they get too soft, we can just hold off on irrigation and let Mother Nature dry it out a little more.
'Last week, it got its final liquid fertilizer on to give it the right color that we need.'
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How Wimbledon gets its grass courts, flowers and tennis balls ready for Grand Slam action Getty Images
At the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC), better known as Wimbledon, grounds staff have 88 grass courts across three venues to maintain.
The 18 match courts at Wimbledon are quiet until the tournament starts, but three miles to the north west, the 34 courts at the qualifying tournament complex in Roehampton are full of players bidding to make the main draw in the build-up to the main event.
Then there are the 16 extra practice courts at AELTC Community Centre in Raynes Park, and the 20 practice courts at Wimbledon itself, which have all been in use since June 23.
Plus there's the added task of maintaining flowers in borders and general planting around the site. It's a mammoth task.
Show courts.
CENTRE COURT, 1.30pm BST start Fabio Fognini (ITA) vs. Carlos Alcaraz (ESP) [2]
Paula Badosa (ESP) [9] vs. Katie Boulter (GBR)
Arthur Rinderknech (FRA) vs. Alexander Zverev (GER) [3]
No.1 COURT, 1pm BST start Aryna Sabalenka [1] vs. Carson Branstine (CAN)
Jacob Fearnley (GBR) vs. Joao Fonseca (BRA)
Emma Raducanu (GBR) vs. Mingge Xu (GBR)
No.2 COURT, 11am start Benjamin Bonzi (FRA) vs. Daniil Medvedev [9]
Elena-Gabriela Ruse (ROU) vs .Madison Keys (USA) [6]
Jasmine Paolini (ITA) [4] vs. Anastasija Sevastova (LAT)
Taylor Fritz (USA) [5] vs. Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard (FRA)
No.3 COURT, 11am start Sonay Kartal (GBR) vs. Jelena Ostapenko (LAT) [20]
Holger Rune (DEN) [8] vs. Nicolas Jarry (CHI)
Matteo Berrettini (ITA) [32] vs. Kamil Majchrzak (POL)
Katerina Siniaková (CZE) vs. Zheng Qinwen (CHN) [5]
COURT 12, 11am start Elmer Møller (DEN) vs. Frances Tiafoe (USA) [12]
Valentin Royer (FRA) vs. Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE) [24]
Leylah Fernandez (CAN) [29] vs. Hannah Klugman (GBR)
Markéta Vondroušová (CZE) vs. McCartney Kessler (USA) [32]
COURT 18, 11am start Anna Bondar (HUN) vs. Elina Svitolina (UKR) [14]
Cameron Norrie (GBR) vs. Roberto Bautista Agut (ESP)
Mackenzie McDonald (USA) vs. Karen Khachanov [17]
Naomi Osaka (JPN) vs. Talia Gibson (AUS)
Outside courts, 11am BST (6am EDT) start.
Court 4 Oliver Tarvet (GBR) vs. Leandro Riedi (SUI)
Greet Minnen (BEL) vs. Olivia Gadecki (AUS)
Ethan Quinn (USA) vs. Henry Searle (GBR)
Court 5 Adrian Mannarino (FRA) vs. Christopher O'Connell (AUS)
Luciano Darderi (ITA) vs. Roman Safiullin
Lulu Sun (NZL) vs. Marie Bouzková (CZE)
Court 6 Learner Tien (USA) vs. Nishesh Basavareddy (USA)
Varvara Gracheva (FRA) vs. Aliaksandra Sasnovich
Ann Li (USA) vs. Viktorija Golubic (SUI)
Matteo Arnaldi (ITA) vs. Botic van de Zandschulp (NED)
Court 7 Anca Todoni (ROU) vs. Cristina Bucşa (ESP)
Zizou Bergs (BEL) vs. Lloyd Harris (RSA)
Kamilla Rakhimova vs. Aoi Ito (JPN)
Shintaro Mochizuki (JPN) vs. Giulio Zeppieri (ITA)
Court 8 Eva Lys (GER) vs. Yuan Yue (CHN)
Peyton Stearns (USA) vs. Laura Siegemund (GER)
Jan-Lennard Struff (GER) vs. Filip Misolic (AUT)
Gabriel Diallo (CAN) vs. Daniel Altmaier (GER)
Court 9 Vit Kopriva (CZE) vs. Jordan Thompson (AUS)
Olga Danilović (SRB) vs. Shuai Zhang (CHN)
Yanina Wickmayer (BEL) vs. Renata Zarazua (MEX)
Brandon Holt (USA) vs. Alejandro Davidovich Fokina (ESP) [26]
Court 10 Diane Parry (FRA) vs. Petra Martić (CRO)
Beatriz Haddad Maia (BRA) [21] vs. Rebecca Sramkova (SVK)
Pablo Carreno Busta (ESP) vs. Chris Rodesch (LUX)
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova vs. Ajla Tomljanovic (AUS)
Court 14 Viktoriya Tomova (BUL) vs. Ons Jabeur (TUN)
Bernarda Pera (USA) vs. Linda Nosková (CZE) [30]
Felix Auger-Aliassime (CAN) [25] vs. James Duckworth (AUS)
Jenson Brooksby (USA) vs. Tallon Griekspoor (NED) [31]
Court 15 Kimberly Birrell (AUS) vs. Donna Vekić (CRO) [22]
Alexei Popyrin (AUS) [20] vs. Arthur Fery (GBR)
Billy Harris (GBR) vs. Dusan Lajovic (SRB)
Yulia Putintseva (KAZ) vs. Amanda Anisimova (USA) [13]
Court 16 Mattia Bellucci (ITA) vs. Oliver Crawford (GBR)
Diana Shnaider [12] vs. Moyuka Uchijima (JPN)
Andrey Rublev [14] vs. Laslo Djere (SRB)
Elise Mertens (BEL) [24] vs. Linda Fruhvirtova (CZE)
Court 17 Jiří Lehečka (CZE) [23] vs. Hugo Dellien (BOL)
Francisco Cerundolo (ARG) [16] vs. Nuno Borges (POR)
Harriet Dart (GBR) vs. Dalma Galfi (HUN)
Ashlyn Krueger (USA) [31] vs. Mika Stojsavljevic (GBR) Getty Images
The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club at Church Road, Wimbledon, London. Postcode: SW19, a synecdoche for the tournament itself.
The private members' club, established in 1868 (156 years ago), has a green and purple color scheme and is one of the most exclusive and prestigious in the country.
How to get in, I hear you ask? You need letters of support from four full members, two of whom must have known you for at least three years.