By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Sunday June 27, 2021
Day 1 of Wimbledon is always special, with the defending men’s singles champion walking out to christen a freshly mowed Centre Court and excitement in the air everywhere around the grounds.
Here’s what we’ll be looking out for on Day 1...
See the complete Day 1 Schedule here
Djokovic renews his golden slam quest
Novak Djokovic is half way to the calendar slam for the second time in his career. And being that 2021 is an Olympic year, there is talk that the World No.1 could potentially run the table and become the first man to ever capture a golden slam.
It’s certainly a big ask, but if anyone is capable at this point, it’s Novak. He’ll open with a first round tussle with Great Britain’s Jack Draper. The 19-year-old wild card is a former Wimbledon boys’ singles finalist and he’s talented on the grass. Draper defeated Jannik Sinner and Alexander Bublik at Queen’s Club to reach the quarterfinals.
Two-time champ Kvitova to face Stephens on Centre
How’s this for a popcorn first-rounder? Petra Kvitova, the 2011 and 2014 Wimbledon champion will square off with Sloane Stephens in the second match on Centre.
Stephens comes in with a ranking of 73, but the former World No.3 is starting to find her game after a rough patch. She’s also a former quarterfinalist at Wimbledon, and knows her way around the grass—and she leads the head-to-head with Kvitova, 2-1.
Seeking firsts
Iga Swiatek is a former girls champion at Wimbledon, but the World No.9 has never won a main draw match at Wimbledon. She’ll face tricky Hsieh Su-Wei on Court No.1. At Wimbledon Hsieh is famous for taking out then World No.1 Simona Halep in 2018.
Jannik Sinner, the rising Italian teenager who enters as the No.19 seed, will make his Wimbledon main draw debut on Court No.18 against Marton Fucsovics.
2018 Boys’ champion Alejandro Davidovich Fokina will make his Wimbledon debut on Court No.7 against American qualifier Denis Kudla, while American Ann Li, a Girls’ Singles runner-up at Wimbledon in 2017, will make her debut at SW19 against Nadia Podoroska, also on Court 7.
American 20-year-old Sebastian Korda, ranked No.50, will make his Wimbledon debut against the No.15 seed, Alex de Minaur.
Former champs Muguruza and Venus Williams on Court 2
Garbiñe Muguruza, the No.11 seed will open the day on Court 2 against Fiona Ferro. A quick fact about Muguruza at Wimbledon: Every time she has reached beyond the second round she has made it to the final.
Up last on Court No.2, five-time champion Venus Williams makes her 23rd Wimbledon appearance, facing Romania’s Mihaela Buzarnescu. Williams won the pair’s only previous meeting, two years ago at the Australian Open.