Wimbledon 2021, The growing list of big names missing this year’s Wimbledon Championships till minutes before the draw ceremony on Friday will surely dishearten the fans. The defending champion in the women’s singles event, Simona Halep, was the latest to announce her withdrawal – owing to a calf injury she’s struggled to recover from.
Ahead of the Order of Play being announced, we are pleased to confirm that world No.1 and top seed Ash Barty will open play on Centre Court…
This list also includes the likes of two-time champion Rafael Nadal, three-time Grand Slam winner Stan Wawrinka, 2020 US Open champion Dominic Thiem, and former finalist Milos Raonic in the men’s section. Four-time Major winner Naomi Osaka is the other high-profile player absent from the women’s field.
3 big names including Rafael Nadal, Simona to miss Wimbledon 2021
Yet there remain a host of big names who will compete for the title now that Wimbledon – the only Grand Slam to be cancelled (and not postponed) last year due to the Covid-19 pandemic – is set to take place again, beginning Monday.
World No. 1 Novak Djokovic will head to Centre Court on Monday – as is customary for the defending champion. Serena Williams, a seven-time champion at SW19, a highly-accomplished grass-courter, will continue her pursuit for the elusive all-time record 24th Slam. And Roger Federer will return to where his comeback has been targeted towards.
MEN’S SINGLES
Return of Federer
When Federer returned to the tour earlier this year after missing most of 2020 due to a double knee surgery, he had asserted that Wimbledon was his main priority. So much so that he was willing to compete at the French Open just to help him add more match-time to prepare for the grass Slam. The finalist from the last edition has a tricky start though, as he faces French southpaw Adrian Mannarino – who is capable of pulling off upsets any day.
Murray gets a wild card
The two-time Wimbledon champion has had a torrid time over the past few years with injuries keeping him away from the tour for long spells. Fit this time around, Murray needed a wild card to enter the main draw. The dogged defender will take on hard-hitting Nikoloz Basilashvili.
