Wimbledon draw revealed
The youngest player to qualify for the Wimbledon singles draw since the start of the open era in 1968 has been given a dream match-up against five-time champion Venus Williams.
American 15-year-old Cori Gauff hit the headlines yesterday after securing her place in the draw.
And although she didn’t get her perfect wish of sharing a court with Serena Williams, a first round tie against sister Venus will catch the eye of all tennis fans when the tournament begins.
Elsewhere defending men’s champion Novak Djokovic, who is also the No.1 seed, will play Germany’s Philipp Kohlschreiber in the first match on Centre Court at 1pm on Monday.
Roger Federer, the No.2 seed, faces Lloyd Harris of South Africa, while Rafael Nadal, who is the World Number 2 but seeded at No.3 due to Wimbledon’s calculations, faces a tricky path.
The All England Club, unlike organisers of other tournaments, seeds players in relation to previous performances on grass, rather than purely by their world rankings, something Nadal spoke out about earlier this week.
The Spaniard could play Greek Nick Kyrgios as early as the second round, and is on course to clash with Federer in the semi-final.
British men’s number one Kyle Edmund, seeded 30th, will play Jaume Munar of Spain in the first round on Monday.
Johanna Konta, Britain’s leading female player, will play Romanian qualifier Ana Bogdan on Tuesday. Last year’s women’s champion Angelique Kerber, seeded fifth, starts against fellow German Tatjana Maria on Tuesday.
She could then face 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams, who opens against Italian qualifier Giulia Gatto-Monticone, in the last 16.
World No.1 Ashleigh Barty will play China’s Zheng.