- By Himanshu Badola
- Mon, 03 Jul 2023 03:41 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
JE Sports Desk: The most awaited event in the Tennis world has finally arrived as Wimbledon kicks off on July 3. Novak Djokovic is likely to follow the same script again, as the Serbian heads to the All England Club as the overwhelming favorite to win another title and take his grand slam tally to 24.
Djokovic is expected to match Roger Federer's record of five consecutive Wimbledon titles – held jointly with Bjorn Borg – and eight overall.
The 36-year-old decided not to play in any ATP Tour events in preparation for Wimbledon.
Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz once seemed that he would push Djokovic all the way in their semifinal at Roland-Garros before he suffered cramps that ended the match as a one-sided contest.
Alcaraz made huge strides this year by winning his first grass-court title at Queen’s Club and returning to the top of the world rankings.
Major missings make Djokovic favorite for title
Last year's runner-up Nick Kyrgios has pulled out of the tournament and While Rafael Nadal is also out due to injury, the other contenders including the likes of Daniil Medvedev, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Casper Ruud, and Holger Rune haven't impressed in the elite competition and seem unlikely to threaten the defending champion.
Kyrios missed the French Open d to a foot injury he sustained during the theft of his car and also withdrew from events in Halle and Mallorca.
Concerns over Rybakina's title defense
There are several concerns about Elena Rybakina defending her title after withdrawing from the Eastbourne International warmup event with the same virus that ruled her out of the French Open. She made a return to the court at the German Open but lost in straight sets in the second round to Donna Vekić and admitted to haven't fully recovered.
Rybakina is the first player from Kazakhstan who has a grand slam title to his name as she defeated Ons Jabeur in three sets in last year’s Wimbledon final.
Belarus' Aryna Sabalenka and Poland’s Iga Świątek are the other two favorites considered to light the famous title this time.
Sabalenka has three titles to her name this year, including her maiden grand slam in Australia, and has matched her career-high of No. 2 in the world going into Wimbledon. Her only preparation ahead of the competition has been at the German Open where she was defeated by Veronika Kudermetova in straight sets in the second round.
Świątek, on the other hand, began her Wimbledon preparations with a tough battle of three-set win over world No. 58 Tatjana Mariana in the opening round of the Bad Homburg Open, Germany.
She hasn't won any major title on a grass surface as her best performance was a fourth-round appearance in 2021 at Wimbledon.
Tight security arrangements
Talking about the event, All England Club decided to increase and tighten the security plans for Wimbledon in coordination with London police and other intelligence agencies in order to avoid any kind of unusual sequence.
Last month, several incidents were seen of the Oil Protestors targetting sports matches and events including the second Ashes Test match at Lord's.