ATP Tour

Scouting Report: Alcaraz, Djokovic chase Wimbledon history, Sinner leads field

Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic have all descended on London seeking major glory at Wimbledon. Two-time defending champion Alcaraz will aim to join Bjorn Borg on an exclusive list, while Djokovic seeks to tie Roger Federer’s record trophy haul at The Championships. World No. 1 Sinner has captured two of the past three majors and will now hope to find his best level on grass.

Alexander Zverev, Jack Draper, Taylor Fritz, Lorenzo Musetti and Holger Rune round out the top eight seeds. ATPTour.com looks at 10 storylines to watch during the fortnight.

1) Two-time defending champ Alcaraz seeks history: Alcaraz will chase history at Wimbledon, where he will try to join Bjorn Borg as just the second man in the Open Era to win the Roland Garros-Wimbledon double in back-to-back years. On the women’s side, Stefanie Graf remains the only player in the Open Era to achieve the back-to-back Roland Garros-Wimbledon double. Alcaraz has defeated Djokovic in the past two Wimbledon finals and arrives in top form after capturing the Queen’s Club title.

2) Can Sinner transfer success to Wimbledon? World No. 1 Sinner has won nine titles since the start of last year, including three majors and the Nitto ATP Finals. The Italian is still searching for the winning formula at Wimbledon, though, with his best result a semi-final showing in 2023. Sinner, who leads the field as the top seed, hit with Aryna Sabalenka earlier this week in a light-hearted practice session. Sinner's first-round opponent is countryman Luca Nardi, who last year earned his first win against a World No. 1 by stunning Djokovic at Indian Wells.

3) Djokovic aiming to equal Federer record: For the third consecutive year, Djokovic will try to equal Roger Federer’s record eight Wimbledon titles when he takes to court this fortnight. The Serbian, competing for the first time since his Roland Garros semi-final defeat to Sinner, holds a 97-12 tournament record.

Earlier this month, Djokovic celebrated his 100th match win at Roland Garros and now sets his sights on inching closer to 100 victories at Wimbledon, beginning with his first-round clash against Alexandre Muller. The Belgrade native could meet rival Sinner in the semi-finals.

4) Draper leads British charge: Jack Draper arrives at his home major at a career-high No. 4 in the PIF ATP Rankings, having won the biggest title of his career at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Indian Wells in March. The 23-year-old will try to join Andy Murray as just the second British champion in the Open Era. Draper starts against Sebastian Baez and could meet Djokovic in the quarter-finals.

5) Can Zverev, Fritz or Musetti spoil the party? Zverev, a three-time major finalist, will look to end his wait for a first Slam trophy in southwest London. But the German will need to improve on his previous Wimbledon showings, having never been beyond the fourth round in eight previous appearances.

Taylor Fritz, a former Wimbledon quarter-finalist, arrives in form on grass. Lorenzo Musetti, a semi-finalist at Wimbledon last year, is coming off a strong clay-court season highlighted by a runner-up finish in Monte Carlo and semi-final runs in Paris, Rome, and Madrid. Both Fritz and Musetti are in search of their first Grand Slam title.

6) Mensik, Fonseca headline #NextGenATP stars: Jakub Mensik and Joao Fonseca have lit up the ATP Tour this year. Mensik defeated Djokovic in the Miami final to lift the trophy at the Masters 1000 event, while Fonseca won in Buenos Aires and earned a Top 10 win against Andrey Rublev at the Australian Open. Americans Learner Tien and Nishesh Basavareddy, both making their Wimbledon debuts, face each other in the opening round.

7) Live Race To Turin continues to heat up: The PIF ATP Live Race To Turin is taking shape. Eighth-placed Tommy Paul, ninth-placed Alex de Minaur, 10th-placed Holger Rune and 11th-placed Ben Shelton are all trying to push for a qualifying spot. Paul, De Minaur and Rune are all former quarter-finalists at the grass-court major, while Shelton advanced to the fourth round last season.

8) Bublik, Lehecka grass-court threats: Alexander Bublik and Jiri Lehecka arrive in form. Bublik upset Sinner en route to the title at the ATP 500 event in Halle, while Lehecka beat Draper on his way to the Queen’s Club final. Bublik, seeded 28th, starts against Jaume Munar, who pushed Alcaraz to a three and a half hour test at Queen's Club. 

9) First-round matches to watch: Alcaraz will put to test his 18-match winning streak against Tour veteran Fabio Fognini in the opening round. While Alcaraz undoubtedly starts the match as a heavy favourite, the two-time defending champion will be wary of the former No. 9 who earned 17 victories against Top-10 opponents thanks to his shotmaking ability. Fritz faces 6'8" Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in a first-round match that promises massive serving. In an-all French first-round clash, 18th seed Ugo Humbert meets Gael Monfils.

10) Arevalo/Pavic lead doubles field: With three ATP Masters 1000 titles already to their name this season, top seeds Marcelo Arevalo and Mate Pavic will look to add a maiden Wimbledon crown as a team [Pavic partnered Nikola Mektic in 2021 to win the title]. Harri Heliovaara and Henry Patten are seeded second and will begin against British wild cards Daniel Evans and 19-year-old Henry Searle. View the Doubles draw.