The 2023 Wimbledon Championships got underway on Monday, with the world’s best tennis players descending on the All England Club for the third Grand Slam of the year.
In the men's draw, Novak Djokovic got his title defence underway on Monday, taking on Argentina’s Pedro Cachin as he bids to equal two major records with his eighth Wimbledon title and 24th grand slam trophy. Heavy favourites Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz know they cannot meet until the final.
Alcaraz hasn't previously made it beyond the fourth round at Wimbledon but showed his quick progression on grass by winning at Queen’s and he faces veteran Frenchman Jeremy Chardy in his opening match on Tuesday. Nick Kyrgios, who lost to Djokovic in last year's final, was forced to pull out of the tournament because of a wrist injury.
Two-time former champion Andy Murray takes on fellow British player Ryan Peniston in the first round on Tuesday. Murray is expected to beat wild card Peniston - ranked 267 - and should he win, he will face either fifth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas or former US Open champion Dominic Thiem in the second round.
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British number one Cameron Norrie, who made the semi-final in 2022, opens against Czech qualifier Tomas Machac, while Dan Evans - seeded 27th - faces France’s Quentin Halys first up. British wild cards Liam Broady and Jan Choinski meet Constant Lestienne and Dusan Lajovic, respectively.
In the women’s draw, defending champion Elena Rybakina, last year’s runner-up Ons Jabeur and second seed Aryna Sabalenka are all placed in the bottom half. British number one Katie Boulter will play Australian Daria Saville in the first round, while top seed Iga Swiatek will play China’s Zhu Lin on Monday.
Two standout draws saw two high-profile wild cards, 43-year-old Venus Williams and former world number three Elina Svitolina, paired together, while seventh seed Coco Gauff will play former Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin, who had to come through qualifying.
When is Andy Murray's first round match?
Murray vs Peniston takes place on Tuesday, July 4th. The match gets underway at 2:45pm (estimated) and you can tune into live TV coverage on BBC Two or live stream the match on the BBC iPlayer.
What has Andy Murray said?
Murray said: “We (Murray and Peniston) practised together quite a lot. He obviously likes playing on the grass courts. He had some really good wins last year at Queen’s and also Jack Draper in Surbiton.
"I think he beat Holger [Rune] in Eastbourne. Yeah, he’s had some good wins on the surface. Yeah, lefty. Moves very well. I need to be ready for that one.”
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