Wimbledon: Main takeaways from the draw

Alcaraz, Swiatek the top seeds as Djokovic targets more history and Sabalenka headlines loaded bottom half

©Corinne Dubreuil / FFT

Friday 30 June 2023 - Reem Abulleil

The third Grand Slam of the season is upon us; the grass courts are freshly-cut, the all-white kits are ready to be donned; the strawberries and cream are stacked in fridges, all set to be devoured - it's time for Wimbledon 2023.

The draw was unveiled in the brand new media theatre at the All England Club on Friday morning. Here's what we can look forward to at this year's Championships.

Djokovic going for further history

No.2 seed and defending champion Novak Djokovic will be chasing a 24th Grand Slam trophy that would tie him with Margaret Court at the top of the all-time list of most majors won.

The Serb is gunning for an eighth Wimbledon crown and a third consecutive Grand Slam title, having already triumphed in Australia and at Roland-Garros this year.

The 36-year-old will open his campaign at SW19 against Argentina's Pedro Cachin, with the first dangerous obstacle in his path possibly coming in the fourth round against former semi-finalist and No.17 seed Hubert Hurkacz or Italian No.14 seed Lorenzo Musetti.

In the quarter-finals, Djokovic could square off with one of two Halle finalists, the runner-up and No.7 seed Andrey Rublev, or the champion and No.23 seed Alexander Bublik.

Nick Kyrgios, the man Djokovic beat in last year's title decider at Wimbledon, is also in the Serb's quarter of the draw but the No.30 seed must first get past a tricky opener against Belgian wildcard David Goffin.

Fourth-seeded Casper Ruud and eight-seeded Jannik Sinner share the third quarter of the draw and lie ahead as potential semi-final opponents for Djokovic.

Jannik Sinner & Novak Djokovic / Wimbledon 2022

©Corinne Dubreuil / FFT

Swiatek avoids loaded half of draw

World No.1 and four-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek begins her assault on a maiden Wimbledon crown against the highest-ranked unseeded player in the draw, China's world No.33 Zhu Lin.

Fresh off a run to a third Roland-Garros crown, Swiatek reached the semi-finals on grass in Bad Homburg before pulling out with an illness on Friday.

The 22-year-old Pole has No.7 seed Coco Gauff and No.11 seed Daria Kasatkina as possible quarter-final rivals, while No.4 seed Jessica Pegula and No.5 seed Caroline Garcia could face Swiatek in the semis.

The bottom half of the draw, headlined by reigning Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka, is absolutely stacked.

Besides Sabalenka, it also includes last year's Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina, and runner-up Ons Jabeur, two-time winner and recent Birmingham champion Petra Kvitova, Roland-Garros finalist Karolina Muchova and former Paris champions Barbora Krejcikova and Jelena Ostapenko.

Sabalenka begins her journey against Hungarian Panna Udvardy and could take on her Roland-Garros conqueror Muchova in the fourth round.

Jabeur could get a rematch with No.3 seed Rybakina in the quarter-finals, with the winner of that clash possibly earning a last-four showdown with Sabalenka.

Alcaraz looks to keep up grass momentum

After capturing a maiden grass-court title in Queens last week, world No.1 Carlos Alcaraz will be looking to carry that confidence on the surface into Wimbledon, where he reached the fourth round 12 months ago.

Making his third appearance at the All England Club, the 20-year-old Spaniard begins his campaign against French veteran Jeremy Chardy. The first seed in his path is Chilean Nicolas Jarry (No.25), who could face Alcaraz in round three.

Possible fourth-round opponents for Alcaraz are Queens finalist Alex de Minaur of No.19 seed Alexander Zverev before a potential quarter-final meeting with Stuttgart champion and No.10 Frances Tiafoe or Danish No.6 seed Holger Rune.

No.3 seed Daniil Medvedev or No.5 seed Stefanos Tsitsipas could loom ahead for Alcaraz in the semi-finals.