The biggest title in tennis, superstars in the royal box and 28 tons of strawberries – all for the tennis classic in Wimbledon.
Wimbledon 2024 – with record prize money
The third Grand Slam tournament of the year is the oldest and probably most important tennis tournament in the world. The Gentlemen’s Cup has been held at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on London’s Church Road with the famous postcode SW19 since 1877, and women have been playing for the Venus Rosewater Dish since 1884.
In 2024, Wimbledon will offer a new record prize money of more than 59 million euros. According to the organizers, the prize money has doubled from 25 million pounds to more than 50 million pounds in the past ten years. The winners of the singles will each receive prize money of almost 3.2 million euros, meaning that “equal pay” has been achieved at Wimbledon.
Start on July 1st, finals on July 13th / 14th – times and TV broadcasts
Qualification for the last places in the main draw is already underway, the first of the two tournament weeks begins with the first round matches on July 1. The finals will take place on Saturday, July 13, for the women and on Sunday, July 14, for the men.
The Sunday off after the first week, long one of the special features of the Grand Slam tournament in Wimbledon, was abolished in 2022 – also in order to ease the schedule, which was often burdened by the weather and postponed matches.
There has been a change in the broadcasting rights for Germany: In Germany, the Wimbledon matches will no longer be shown on “Sky”, but live on “Prime Video”.
Zverev, Kerber and Co. – the German tennis hopes
A total of eleven German tennis professionals are guaranteed a place in the main draw. The greatest hope from a German perspective is once again Alexander Zverev, who is making another attempt to win a Grand Slam title after his defeat in the final of Roland Garros. Grass has not been the German number one’s favorite surface, however, and Zverev has never made it past the round of 16 at Wimbledon.
In addition to Zverev, Jan-Lennard Struff, Dominik Koepfer, Daniel Altmaier, Maximilian Marterer and Yannick Hanfmann will compete.
In the women’s competition, Angelique Kerber, the 2018 Wimbledon champion, has received a wildcard. Alongside Kerber, Tatjana Maria, Tamara Korpatsch, Laura Siegemund and Jule Niemeier are in the main draw.
Alcaraz, Sinner, Swiatek – the favorites in Wimbledon
Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz comes to Wimbledon with another major title and additional self-confidence after his first win in Paris. The number one seed, however, is Jannik Sinner, the world number one who showed in Halle that he can also win grass tournaments, in the final against Hubert Hurkacz, a proven grass specialist.
In the women’s competition, Iga Swiatek, who recently won the French Open convincingly, is also seeded number 1 at Wimbledon, ahead of Coco Gauff and Aryna Sabalenka. Most recently, two outsiders, Elena Rybakina and Marketa Vondrousova, triumphed at Church Road – Vondrousova was the first unseeded player in tournament history.
Wimbledon without Nadal, Djokovic and Murray with question marks
Novak Djokovic announced that he would decide at short notice whether he would start. The Serb had to take a break after his injury-related withdrawal in Paris and subsequent knee surgery and was unable to play a preparation tournament. The seven-time Wimbledon winner had recently reached the final at Wimbledon five times in a row. With another victory, he would catch up with record champion Roger Federer.
Rafael Nadal, who wants to prepare for what could be his last major appearance at the Olympics in Paris, has already cancelled. Two-time Wimbledon champion Andy Murray, the darling of British fans, is still hoping to compete after a back injury.
Strawberries with cream – a long tradition in Wimbledon
“Strawberries and cream” are among the many Wimbledon clichés that are often perpetuated by the tradition-loving Brits. 28 tons of strawberries are said to be consumed by tennis fans at each tournament, and a picnic portion costs £2.50, unchanged since 2010.
However, the strawberries this year are supposed to be bigger and particularly tasty, as the Guardian has already reported: in the cool and wet weather in spring, the strawberries ripened more slowly and were therefore fruitier. If this forecast does not come true, the reliable size is still the Pimm’s long drink, a glass for just under ten pounds.
Stars in the Royal Box, Hope for Princess Kate
It is not just members of the royal family and their entourage who are expected in the royal box on Centre Court. In recent years, more and more Hollywood stars and other big names from the world of sport and show business have gathered in the “Royal Box”: from Brad Pitt, Sienna Miller, David Beckham and Lewis Hamilton to Ariana Grande and TV baker Mary Berry.
The patron of the “All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club” is Princess Kate, who recently made her first public appearance since the announcement of her cancer at the military parade in honor of the King.
It remained unclear until the last minute whether Princess Kate, who says she is still undergoing treatment, would hand over the winner’s trophies on the final weekend as she has done in previous years. She hoped, she wrote to “X”, to be able to take part in some public appearances in the summer – possibly also on Centre Court at Wimbledon.
2024-06-26 15:08:04
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