Djokovic had left his participation open until the last minute. “I will only play if I am able to go far and fight for the title,” he told the BBC. “I am not here to just play a few rounds. I will only play if I know that I can play at my maximum or close to it.” Djokovic had knee surgery to repair a torn meniscus after withdrawing before the quarter-finals of the French Open earlier this month. His knee is developing “in the right direction,” said Djokovic, who trained on grass on Monday with a bandage on the injured joint. “It is getting better every day. I am not giving 100 percent yet, but hopefully that will come in the next few days.”
The seven-time Wimbledon winner had recently reached the final of the most famous tennis tournament five times in a row, losing only to Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz in 2023. With another win, he would catch up with record champion Roger Federer (eight titles).
Doable task for Zverev – Hanfmann against Sinner
Alexander Zverev, who lost the final at the French Open against the Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz, faces a manageable first-round challenge at the grass-court classic in Wimbledon (July 1 to 14). The 27-year-old French Open finalist will face the Spaniard Roberto Carballes Baena (31) in the opening match. The world number 65 has never made it past the third round at a Grand Slam tournament.
Zverev, who has never reached the quarter-finals of the world’s most famous tennis tournament, can look forward to a solvable tournament path as the fourth in the world rankings. In the second round, a duel with the American Marco Giron could await, and in the third round the Hamburg native could face the Briton Jack Draper, seeded 28th.
Zverev’s opponent in the final in Paris, Alcaraz, begins his mission to defend his title against the clear outsider Mark Lajal (Estonia). Yannik Hanfmann was a tough nut to crack. The Karlsruher has to play against the world number one and Australian Open champion Jannik Sinner from Italy. Jan-Lennard Struff will face the Hungarian Fabian Marozsan at the start.
Tricky task for Kerber
Meanwhile, Angelique Kerber faced a tricky challenge from Kazakhstan’s Yulia Putintseva. Kerber is an outsider against the world number 34 in her return to Wimbledon after her recent poor performances. She won the tournament in London in 2018.
The other German women have been given manageable first-round tasks. Tatjana Maria (Bad Saulgau), semi-finalist of 2022, will face Briton Katie Boulder. The young Hamburg native Eva Lys (22), who is in the main draw at Wimbledon for the first time, will face Frenchwoman Clara Burel.
The German duels at a glance
Alexander Zverev (Hamburg) – Roberto Carballes Baena (Spanien)
Jan-Lennard Struff (Warstein) – Fabian Maroszan (Hungary)
Yannik Hanfmann (Karlsruhe) – Jannik Sinner (Italy)
Dominik Koepfer (Furtwangen) – Fabio Fognini (Italy)
Daniel Altmaier (Kempen) – Arthur Fery (Great Britain)
Maximilian Marterer (Nuremberg) – Roberto Bautista Agut (Spain)
Angelique Kerber (Kiel) – Julia Putinzewa (Kasachstan)
Laura Siegemund (Metzingen) – Kateryna Baindl (Ukraine)
Tatjana Maria (Bad Saulgau) – Katie Boulder (Great Britain)
Tamara Korpatsch (Hamburg) – Yuriko Miyazaki (Japan)
Eva Lys (Hamburg) – Clara Burel (France)
2024-06-28 10:46:33
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