Wimbledon briefing: Day one preview, order of play and must-see match

Independent

9 hours ago

Wimbledon is set to get under way with a bumper schedule of action in blazing sunshine at the All England Club.
Women's world number one Aryna Sabalenka and defending men's champion Carlos Alcaraz start their campaigns on Monday while 14 British players take to the court hoping to thrill the home crowd.
Here, the PA news agency breaks down what to expect on day one of the Championships.
Brit watch
British tennis fans are spoiled for choice on Monday as 14 of the 23 home players in the singles draws take to the court.
Emma Raducanu faces Welsh 17-year-old Mimi Xu in the day's 'battle of Britain' while British number two Katie Boulter and number three Sonay Kartal have their work cut out against seeds Paula Badosa and Jelena Ostapenko respectively.
Sixteen-year-olds Hannah Klugman and Mika Stojsavljevic are also against seeds – former US Open finalist Leylah Fernandez and Ashlyn Krueger respectively – while Harriet Dart plays Hungary's Dalma Galfi.
In the men's draw British number two Jacob Fearnley takes on hot Brazilian prospect Joao Fonseca while Cameron Norrie faces Roberto Bautista Agut.
Debutant Oliver Tarvet, former boys' champion Henry Searle, Billy Harris, Arthur Fery and Oliver Crawford also take to the court on Monday.
Raducanu plays down expectations
Emma Raducanu made the fourth round last year in her biggest moment since winning the US Open in 2021 but this time is dealing with some difficult personal news, a niggling back problem and a very tough section of the draw.
But the 22-year-old is determined to enjoy her time in SW19.
'Truthfully I don't expect much from myself this year (at Wimbledon),' she said. 'I know I've just been dealing with certain things. I just want to go out there and embrace the moment. I want to embrace the occasion.
'Right now I'm just happy to be at Wimbledon. I think that is a great motivation to just keep going and deal with everything else afterwards.'
King Carlos eyes hat-trick
Carlos Alcaraz is full of confidence as he starts his bid for a third successive Wimbledon men's singles title – a feat managed only by Bjorn Borg, Pete Sampras, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic in the Open era. The Spaniard comes into the tournament in superb form, with his 18th-straight victory securing the title at Queen's to follow up successes in Rome and, memorably, at the French Open.
The 22-year-old, who opens play on Centre Court against veteran Italian Fabio Fognini, said: 'Obviously I feel a lot of confidence. But right now I'm not thinking about who I could join if I win three Wimbledons in a row.'
Match of the day
Katie Boulter's hopes of a long Wimbledon run were handed a major early obstacle when she was drawn against Spanish ninth seed Paula Badosa. But the 28-year-old is confident she can give anyone a match on Wimbledon's lawns.
'I do feel like I can play very well on these courts and I don't think that a seed is going to want to see me in their part of the draw either for a first round,' Boulter said.
'I'm very, very excited. I feel like it's a totally different situation for me coming in this year. I'm not seeded. I'm kind of like a dark horse and I like that feeling. I do like the fact that I can go out and swing free and I've got nothing to lose.'
Order of play
Centre Court (from 1.30pm) Carlos Alcaraz (2) v Fabio Fognini Katie Boulter v Paula Badosa (9)Alexander Zverev (3) v Arthur Rinderknech
Weather
Hot and sunny, with highs of 33 degrees Celsius, according to Accuweather.