- No. 3 seed Aryna Sabalenka withdrew from Wimbledon due to a shoulder injury when the tournament began on Monday.
- Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz won his third major championship at the French Open three weeks ago and defeated Novak Djokovic in last year's Wimbledon final. Alcaraz will face qualifier Mark Lajal of Estonia on Day 1.
- Previous Grand Slam title winners Coco Gauff and Emma Raducanu were also set to play matches on the tournament's opening day. Raducanu has been battling several injuries since winning the 2021 US Open at age 18.
Aryna Sabalenka withdrew from Wimbledon with a shoulder injury as the tournament began on Monday, overshadowing early results as everyone waited to find out whether Andy Murray would be deemed fit enough to compete.
Two-time Australian Open champion Sabalenka said she was “heartbroken” to announce her withdrawal after it became clear during a practice session that she was not ready.
The No. 3 seed was considered the top contender at the All England Club, which has seen seven different women win the title in the last seven years.
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Maria Sakkari, seeded No. 9, was among the early winners and, after beating McCartney Kessler 6-3, 6-1, said the women's draw was wide open.
“We could name about 20 or 25 girls who could win the tournament right now,” Sakkari said.
Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus reacts as she plays against Ons Jabeur of Tunisia in a women's singles semi-final match on day 11 of the Wimbledon tennis championships in London, July 13, 2023. Sabalenka withdrew from Wimbledon on July 1, 2024 due to a shoulder injury. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali, File)
Jasmine Paolini, the No. 7 seed and finalist at the French Open last month, made it through the first round of Wimbledon on her fourth attempt. The Italian defeated Sara Sorribes Tormo 7-5, 6-3.
In the men's draw, fifth-seeded Daniil Medvedev beat Aleksander Kovacevic 6-3, 6-4, 6-2, and eighth-seeded Casper Ruud beat Alex Bolt 7-6 (2), 6-4, 6-4. Unseeded Canadian Denis Shapovalov eliminated 19th-seeded Nicolas Jarry 6-1, 7-5, 6-4.
Denis Shapovalov of Canada celebrates during his first round match against Nicolas Jarry of Chile at the Wimbledon tennis championships in London, Monday, July 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)
Also on Monday, defending champion Carlos Alcaraz and previous Grand Slam title winners Coco Gauff and Emma Raducanu were set to play matches on Centre Court.
Alcaraz just won his third major title at Roland Garros three weeks ago. Last year he defeated Novak Djokovic in the Wimbledon final. Alcaraz will face Estonian Mark Lajal, from the qualifying phase, on the first day on the grass courts of the All England Club.
Mark Lajal of Estonia plays a forehand return to Carlos Alcaraz of Spain during their first round match at the Wimbledon tennis championships in London, Monday, July 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)
Raducanu won the 2021 US Open at age 18, but has been dealing with several injuries since then. His scheduled opponent, 22nd seed Ekaterina Alexandrova, withdrew Monday morning due to illness. Alexandrova was replaced by Renata Zarazua, one of the so-called “lucky losers” of the qualifying tournament.
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Gauff, who won the US Open last September, will close the day on the main stadium against Caroline Dolehide in a typically American duel.
Top-ranked Jannik Sinner will also be on Monday's schedule and will play Yannick Hanfmann on Court No. 1.
