Tennis - Easy Wimbledon start for Zverev

LONDON (AP) – Wimbledon is back! The Tennis Classic, which was the only Grand Slam tournament to fail in the coronavirus year 2020, will finally cast its spell on fans again this Monday.

Two years after the spectacular final between Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer, the all-white turf is once again being played for the most coveted title in tennis.

“This is the tournament every player wants to win,” says Angelique Kerber, who won in 2018. “This tournament is known all over the world. It doesn’t matter whether people are interested in tennis or not – everyone is familiar with Wimbledon.” Kerber likes that the tradition is so cultivated. The 33-year-old was ranked world number 86 on Friday as his first opponent. Nina Stojanovic of Serbia was the draw.

Osaka and Halep are missing

The three-time Grand Slam title holder, who was in mood for the tournament in Bad Homburg, sees herself as an outsider in a women’s field without a clear favorite after her immediate exits at the Australian and French Opens. Japanese Naomi Osaka and 2019 winner Simona Halep are missing. The Romanian’s match against Kerber in Rome in May was canceled on Friday due to the consequences of a calf injury. Alexander Zverev made his debut against Dutch qualifier Tallon Grikspur, Jan-Lenard Struff started with world number two Daniil Medvedev of Russia, whom he defeated in Halle.

The men’s champions will be crowned at Wimbledon in the afternoon – in front of 60,000 football fans – before the new European champion is determined on the evening of 11 July. The top favorite is called Novak Djokovic. In 2019, the Serb won the longest final in Wimbledon history after five hours and two match points against the devastated Swiss Roger Federer in the fifth set after a decisive tie-break with 13:12.

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If things went the way they did at the French Open, this story would not repeat itself. Federer was dismissed before the round of 16 to avoid putting too much pressure on his knee, which he had operated on twice on a clay court in Paris. Turf dress rehearsals in Halle almost went wrong for the 40-year-old, who won eight times at Wimbledon. Spain’s Rafael Nadal, the third member of the Big Three, has been cancelled. US Open winner Dominic Thiem of Austria is not injured.

Kohlman: Zverev can play for the title

German Davis Cup captain Michael Kohlmann also sees opportunities for Zverev. “He’s one of those players who will play for the title. There’s no reason Sasha couldn’t play very successfully on the grass,” Kohlman said on “Spox.com.”

However, Djokovic wants to do everything for the Golden Slam: winning all four Grand Slam tournaments and Olympic gold – a feat that only Steffi Graf achieved in 1988. Also at Wimbledon, Djokovic was able to capture the record holders Federer and Nadal with the 20th Grand Slam title.

However, from Monday, not everything will be as is customary in south-west London. Professionals were not allowed to rent homes around the facility, but had to stay in hotels and move to Church Road, as had happened in the previous Grand Slams. There will no longer be long queues in which fans wait for old tickets, which will be resold for little money from noon. This offer, which has always attracted both weatherproof and patient campers, will no longer be available this year.

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After all, it is played in front of the audience. Initially, the center court and seat number 1 will have up to 50 percent capacity, while the smaller outer seats can also occupy three-fourths of the seats. There will be a center court filled with 15,000 spectators as usual for the semi-finals and final.

German first round pairings:

Men’s singles: Jan-Lenard Struff (Warstein) – Daniil Medvedeau (Russia / 2) Tallon Grikspur (Netherlands) – Alexander Zverev (Hamburg / 4) Denis Shapovalov (Canada / 10) – Philipp Kohlschreiber (Augsburg) Reilly Opelka (USA / 27) ) ) – Dominic Koefer (Donauchingen) Jiri Wesley (Czech Republic) – Yannick Hanfmann (Weinheim) Oscar Otte (Cologne) – Arthur Rinderknecht (France) Kwon Soon Woo (South Korea) – Daniel Masur (Munich)

Women’s singles: Angelique Kerber (Kiel / 25) – Nina Stojanovic (Serbia) Jakaterina Alexandrova (Russia / 32) – Laura Siegmund (Metzingen) Andrea Petkovic (Darmstadt) – Jasmine Paolini (Italy) Zhu Lin (China) – Monaster Barthel (Neumun) )