Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic have both entered the singles draw for Wimbledon, which starts on Monday.
Murray withdrew from a match at Queen’s earlier this month and has since undergone surgery on a spinal cyst. On Thursday, he said he was unlikely to play singles at the Championships, but hoped to play doubles alongside his brother, Jamie. Nonetheless, on Friday morning Murray was named in the singles draw, although he may yet pull out before Tuesday, when he is due to play his first-round match against Tomas Machac of the Czech Republic.
Djokovic also had surgery in June, on a torn meniscus in his right knee. He had said that he would only enter the singles draw if he thought he could win the tournament. The seven-times champion will play Vít Kopřiva, a Czech, in the opening round.
Rafael Nadal has already confirmed that he will miss the Championships as he sets his sights on the Olympics. All the wild cards for the men’s draw went to British players.
In the women’s draw, Emma Raducanu was given a wild card to enter this year’s tournament. She will face the 22nd seed, Ekaterina Alexandrova in the first round.
Iga Swiatek is the No 1 seed for the women’s title, despite never having been beyond the quarter-finals at SW19.
When does Wimbledon start?
The 2024 Championships start on Monday, July 1. The last match – the men’s final – is on Sunday, July 14.
When do the Wimbledon finals take place?
The women’s final will be played on Saturday, July 13, followed by the men’s final on Sunday, July 14.
Wimbledon 2024: Men’s singles draw
Wimbledon 2024: Women’s singles draw
Where is Wimbledon held?
The tournament will take place, as ever, at the All England Lawn Tennis Club on Church Road, Wimbledon. They have been held on this site since 1922, when the championships were moved from their previous location on Worple Road.
How to buy Wimbledon tickets
The public Wimbledon ballot is closed, meaning that most tickets for the show courts are unavailable. However, one of the traditions of Wimbledon is ‘The Queue’. Every day fans can queue for a ticket to one of the show courts or for a grounds pass, depending on what is available by the time they reach the front of the queue.
Each day 500 tickets for Centre Court (excluding last four days), No 1 court, and No 2 court are sold. A grounds pass entitles fans to access to all courts apart from the show courts.
Resale tickets for Centre Court, No 1 Court and No 2 Court are available from 3pm each day, from the Ticket Resale kiosk north of Court 18.
For more ticket information, click here.
How to watch Wimbledon on TV and streaming in the UK
The BBC will broadcast the event on BBC One, BBC Two and iPlayer. Clare Balding will lead the presenting team again after replacing Sue Barker last year and is likely to be joined by former Wimbledon champions, including John McEnroe, Martina Navratilova, Billie Jean King and Pat Cash.
Ash Barty, champion in 2021, and 2022 finalist Nick Kyrgios are part of the punditry team although the latter’s hiring has been criticised. Caroline Nokes, the women and equalities committee chair, said the corporation should “hang its head in shame” for agreeing terms after he admitted assaulting an ex-girlfriend in 2023.
By UK law, Wimbledon is a ‘Category B’ television event, meaning that although the men’s and women’s finals must always remain free-to-air there is no guarantee that the rest of the tournament will not one day be shown on pay-TV.
How to watch Wimbledon on TV in the US
ESPN has the rights to show 140-plus hours of coverage from Wimbledon in the US. In 2021, ESPN signed a 12-year agreement to broadcast the event. Coverage begins each day at 6am Eastern Time.
What is the Wimbledon prize money?
In 2024, total prize money is £50 million, up 11.9 per cent from last year. The men’s and women’s singles champions will take home £2.7 million each. First-round losers in the singles will receive £60,000.
In 2023, the total prize pool was £44.7 million with the men’s and women’s singles champions taking home £2.35 million and the runners-up £1.175 million.
Wimbledon court and stadium guide
Wimbledon has five show courts: Centre Court, No 1 Court, No 2 Court, No 3 Court, Court 12 and Court 18. Centre is the largest court at the All England Club and features the famous Royal Box. The court capacity on Centre is 14,974 while Court 1 can hold 12,345.
There are 12 other grass courts in use throughout the tournament. Court 8 was where an 18-year-old John McEnroe made his SW19 bow against Egypt’s Ismail El Shafei in 1977.
In 1995, on court 14, Tim Henman became the first player to be disqualified from Wimbledon when playing in a doubles match with Jeremy Bates against America’s Jeff Tarango and Sweden’s Henrik Holm when he whacked a ball in anger, accidentally hitting 16-year-old ball girl Caroline Hall in the head.
British players at Wimbledon
In the men’s singles, Andy Murray, Cameron Norrie, Dan Evans and Jack Draper all earned the right to play this year’s tournament. Wildcards were given to Liam Broady, Henry Searle, Billy Harris, Jan Choinski, Jacob Fearnley, Arthur Fery and Paul Jubb.
In the women’s draw, Katie Boulter and Harriet Dart were guaranteed their places. Wildcards have been given to Emma Raducanu, Fran Jones, Lily Miyazaki and Heather Watson.
Who are the defending champions?
Last year, Carlos Alcaraz claimed his first Wimbledon title when he defeated Novak Djokovic in five sets.
Marketa Vondrousova claimed her first grand slam title when she overcame Ons Jabeur in straight sets.
Past Wimbledon winners
The Wimbledon trophies
The men play for the gentlemen’s singles trophy which is 18 inches high and has a diameter of 7.5 inches.
The women play for the Venus Rosewater Dish, which is a silver salver with mythological decoration.
The champion at the end of the tournament receives a three-quarter size replica of their respective trophy which bears the names of all past winners.
Latest odds
To win the men’s title
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Jannik Sinner 13/8
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Carlos Alcaraz 7/4
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Novak Djokovic 5/2
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Alexander Zverev 14/1
To win the women’s title
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Aryna Sabalenka 3/1
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Iga Swiatek 7/2
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Elena Rybakina 9/2
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Coco Gauff 7/1
Source Agencies
