Major Guide: Ins & outs, Wimbledon’s key questions

Wimbledon has come around again, but the banning of prominent names and stripping of tour ranking points sets up for a majorly unique instalment.

Marking its 135th edition this year, tennis fans are counting down the days until The Championships kick off on Monday. The third grand slam this year will see a return to capacity crowds for the first time in three years, welcomed by event organisers and fans. However, due to Wimbledon’s ban on Russian and Belarusian players, WTA and ATP has moved to strip the tournament of its ability to give ranking points. The move has already seen players from the WTA and the ATP impacted. 

Big-name availability – Who’s in and who’s out?

Whilst the current women’s world number one Iga Swiatek will be on board for Wimbledon, the men’s number one Danill Medvedev will be unable to participate in the tournament as he is one of the players impacted by the ban. 

Andrey Rublev, Ilya Ivashka and Aslan Karatsev are the other men’s players who won’t be allowed to participate in the Grand Slam. 

Meanwhile, a sadly long list of women’s competitors will miss; Aryna Sabalenka, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, Viktoria Azarenka, Daria Kasatkina, Veronkia Kudermetova, Ludmilla Samsonova, Ekaterina Alexandrova, Aliaskandra Sanovich, Varvara Gracheva, Anna Kalinskaya, Anastasia Potapova and Kamilla Rakhimova.

Outside of the ban, several prominent names have already withdrawn from the event as a result of injuries. 

Four-time grand slam winner Naomi Osaka will not be on a quest for a fifth Grand Slam title this time around. The 24-year-old is set to miss out on Wimbledon as a result of achilles. This marks the second time that she will be unavailable for Wimbledon, with Osaka last seen at the tournament in 2019 – remembering there was no tournament in 2020 due to the pandemic.

Eight-time Wimbledon winner Roger Federer won’t be in attendance this year after he had surgery on his troublesome knee. However, a potential comeback looms for Federer in September in time for the Davis Cup. 

Alexander Zverev will also miss out on Wimbledon this year, and so too will Dominic Thiem. Zverev tore three ligaments in his right ankle at Roland Garros and recently announced on social media that he underwent surgery for the injury. Meanwhile, Thiem chose to sit out the grass season following a disappointing run since returning to the ATP tour from a wrist injury in April. 

Former Wimbledon finalist Eugenie Bouchard has opted out due to the tournament not handing out ranking points, which she confirmed on a statement on her social media last week. 

Other major absences for Wimbledon are Venus Williams, Sofia Kenin (ankle) and 2021 US Open finalist Leylah Fernandez (foot injury).

Will the reigning Wimbledon men’s champion prevail? 

The absence of Medvedev has turned the attention onto last year’s Wimbledon men’s champion, Novak Djokovic. 

Djokovic comes into the mix as the top seed following the tournament’s losses of Medvedev and Zverev. The 35-year-old has won the last three editions of the major and has a 102-18 win/loss record on grass, a huge advantage at a tournament like Wimbledon. 

He was last seen on court at the French Open, defeated by Rafael Nadal in the Quarter Finals.

The return of Serena Williams 

Seven-time Wimbledon champion Serena Williams made headlines last week after it was announced that she would return to the tournament as a wildcard. 

Williams has had a stint on the sidelines and has not played tennis since last year’s Wimbledon. The 40-year-old was forced to retire from her first-round set against Aliaksandra Sasnovich due to a leg injury. 

It’s another step from Williams in her comeback to the sport. 

Now ranked at 1204, the tennis star is set to appear in Wimbledon with a win under her belt after teaming up with doubles partner Ons Jabeur. The duo defeated Sara Sorribes Tormo and Marie Bouzkova at the Eastbourne Invitational in England this week. 

English hopefuls

Leading the charge for the men’s is Britain’s number one Cam Norrie. Ranked at 12, Norrie has already won titles at Lyon and Delray Beach in 2022. He heads into Wimbledon as the ninth seed.

Andy Murray is hoping to fly the ‘local’ flag, but the current world number 51 faces uncertainty whether he’ll be fit in time for the tournament. He was quoted recently saying that he was “improving” from an abdominal strain which he sustained in Stuttgart last year. 

Rising star Jack Draper is another name which Britain can look forward to. The 20-year-old first gained attention during his matchup against Djokovic at Wimbledon last year, and was guaranteed a spot in the tournament amid his breakout year and sharp rise in the rankings.

Daniel Evans rounds out the British male contingent, entering the event as 29th seed. 

The reigning US Open champ Emma Raducanu is Britain’s only women’s seed for the tournament, but must be considered a chance to win. Though her preparation for the tournament has been far from ideal, following her recent injury woes, the 19-year-old has made a splash in the tennis world since winning her first grand slam title last year.

Who’s in form?

World number one and French Open champ Iga Swiatek is favourite to take out Wimbledon. The Polish powerhouse has been in fine form since overtaking retired superstar Ash Barty as world number one. Already in 2022, Swiatek has won six titles so far, having now put together an unbeaten run of 35 matches.

It could be other young talent as Swiatek’s greatest threat, with French Open finalist Coco Guaff and 2021 Indian Wells winner Paula Badosa ones to watch.

Australian Open quarter-finalist Anette Kontaviet, plus Madrid Open finalist Sara Sorribes Tormo are in the hunt.

Meanwhile, the likes of Carlos Alcaraz, Felix Auger-Aliassime, Jannik Sinner and Brendon Nakashima look among the young talent set to cause a stir at Wimbledon. It follows their impressive performances in recent months.

However, Matteo Berrettini will be hot on their tails with the Italian in fine form after back-to-back titles, finding victories at both Stuttgart and the Queens Club Championship this year. 

Both Berrenttini and Djokovic look to be the favourites of the men’s competition heading into the tournament. 

Australian chances 

As the country still reels from the departure of Ash Barty, a host of Australian women still remain thriving in tennis and are hopeful of going deep in the London major this year. 

With a list of names still in qualifying contention, time will tell who will join the top ranked Australian woman Ajla Tomljanovic, who has been guaranteed a spot in the main tournament draw. Tomlijanovic made the Quarter last year, but was knocked out when she went up against the reigning champion Ash Barty. 

Also guaranteed a spot in the women’s draw is Daria Saville, who’s rise has impressed Wimbledon officials enough to be given a wildcard entry. Saville is back in the top 100 and ranked at 96. 

Her time on the WTA tour in recent months comes off the back of an injury-plagued run in recent times. 

In the men’s draw, you can expect to see at least seven Australians in the draw. Leading the charge for the Australian men is top seed Alex de Minaur who is currently ranked at 24. 

Joining de Minaur will be Nick Kyrgios, Jordan Thompson, James Duckworth, Thanasi Kokkinakis, John Millman and Alexei Popyrin.