WIMBLEDON, England (AP) — Get ready for Wimbledon before play begins on Monday with a guide that tells you everything you need to know about how to watch the grass-court Grand Slam tennis tournament, what the betting odds are, what the schedule is, who the defending champions are and more:
How to watch Wimbledon on TV
— In the U.S.: Tennis Channel, ESPN
— Other countries are listed here.
Betting favorites for Wimbledon
Iga Swiatek and Carlos Alcaraz are listed as the favorites to win the singles championships at the All England Club, according to BetMGM Sportsbook. Swiatek — who never has made it past the quarterfinals at Wimbledon — is a -175 money-line pick; she was at +275 right after winning the French Open only 2 1/2 weeks ago. Aryna Sabalenka, a two-time Australian Open champion and twice a semifinalist at Wimbledon, is next for the women’s title at +400, followed by 2022 champion Elena Rybakina (+650) and reigning U.S. Open champion Coco Gauff (+700). Defending champion Alcaraz is listed at +150, ahead of Jannik Sinner (+275) and Novak Djokovic (+350), with a big drop-off to the No. 4 choice, Alexander Zverev (+700).
Basic facts about Wimbledon
The site is the All England Club. The surface is grass courts. Women play best-of-three-set matches; men play best-of-five-set matches. Unlike the other three Grand Slam tennis tournaments, there are no night sessions; a curfew prevents play past 11 p.m. The event lasts 14 days, including play now on the middle Sunday, which until 2022 was not used for competition except on four occasions when rain created a backlog of matches. There are retractable roofs on Centre Court and No. 1 Court.
The top seeds at Wimbledon
Iga Swiatek is the top-seeded woman. Jannik Sinner is the top-seeded man.
What happened in the Wimbledon draw on Friday?
Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray both were placed in the Wimbledon bracket during Friday’s draw despite coming off recent operations. That’s no guarantee either 37-year-old past champion at the All England Club will actually compete at the event. But Djokovic, at least, has looked in practice sessions this week as though he is ready to go, less than a month after surgery for a torn meniscus in his right knee. He has won seven of his men’s-record 24 Grand Slam titles at Wimbledon. Murray, a two-time trophy winner at the grass-court tournament, made clear on Thursday that he would wait until the last moment to decide whether or not to play. He has been planning to retire after Wimbledon and the Paris Olympics.
The Wimbledon schedule
— Monday-Tuesday: First Round (Women and Men)
— July 3-4: Second Round (Women and Men)
— July 5-6: Third Round (Women and Men)
— July 7-8: Fourth Round (Women and Men)
— July 9-10: Quarterfinals (Women and Men)
— July 11: Women’s Semifinals
— July 12: Men’s Semifinals
— July 13: Women’s Final
— July 14: Men’s Final
A quiz about Wimbledon
Try your hand at the AP’s quiz about Wimbledon.
Get caught up before Wimbledon
What to read:
— Wimbledon’s qualifying rounds are the tournament before the tournament
— Alcaraz, Sinner, Swiatek and Gauff are ushering in a tennis youth movement
— Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray are in the bracket after recent operations
— Murray is still trying to decide whether he can play at Wimbledon
— Who are the top women in the field?
— Who are the top men in the field?
— Rafael Nadal is skipping Wimbledon to prepare for the Paris Olympics
— An outside review says the U.S. Tennis Association can do more to protect players
Wimbledon’s defending champions
Marketa Vondrousova earned her first Grand Slam title a year ago at the All England Club, defeating Ons Jabeur 6-4, 6-4 to become the first unseeded woman to win Wimbledon. Carlos Alcaraz got past Novak Djokovic 1-6, 7-6 (6), 6-1, 3-6, 6-4 for his first trophy at Wimbledon and second at a major (a total he recently raised to three by winning the French Open). Djokovic had won four consecutive titles at the All England Club and seven overall.
Prize money at Wimbledon
Total prize money at Wimbledon in 2024 is rising to a record 50 million pounds, which is about $64 million — an increase of nearly 12% from last year. The two singles champions each will receive 2.7 million pounds, about $3.45 million.
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