In the aftermath of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Daniil Medvedev is once again facing the danger of being barred from Wimbledon. Russians could be barred from playing unless they provide "assurances," according to the Sports Minister. Now the All England Club could restrict Medvedev from competing as a private members' club.
Due to the conflict in Ukraine, there has been speculation of a ban for world No. 2 Daniil Medvedev and other Russian players competing at Wimbledon this year. The threat has now grown stronger, with the AELTC considering banning sportsmen from the nation. According to a recent article from The Telegraph, as a private members' club, they will be allowed to prevent Russian players from competing without fear of legal penalties.
The private member clubs have the freedom to ban Russian players
A source close to the club confirmed that its private status. It means they had more freedom to implement a potential ban than the likes of the ATP and WTA. "Private member clubs have more freedom as to who to allow in or not. So they wouldn't be subject to the same discrimination laws as the tours," they said.
"If you are running the main tennis tour, you have the freedom to ban players. If they have been found guilty of match-fixing or doping, for instance. But you have to be able to show that this course of action is reasonable. In this instance, if the tours took strong action, Russians players could argue that they are being prevented from making a living through no fault of their own. That is not so much of an issue for Wimbledon, however," they added.
All players from Russia and Belarus will be playing as neutrals, with no reference to their country or flag, according to the ATP, WTA, ITF, and four Grand Slams. But the All England Club may now take things a step further with their power to make independent judgments.
With the entry deadline for Wimbledon coming in mid-May, the club has just weeks to decide whether Russian and potentially Belarusian players will be banned from the prestigious Grand Slam which begins at the end of June. Sports Minister Nigel Huddleston has already previously suggested Russian players denounce Putin and the war or be barred from the tournament
Most matches won in Grand Slams by any player | Top 10 List
One of the barometers of who gets to be called the greatest of all time has to be Grand Slam match wins. Roger Federer blazed his way to 369 Grand Slam match wins. So let's have a tour of the most matches won in Grand slams from top 10 list.
The Grand Slam tournaments, also known as majors are the most important Tennis tournament. It is also considered as the world's four most important annual professional tennis tournaments.
Grand Slam is referred to the achievement of winning all four major championships in the same calendar year. The four Grand Slam championships are the Australian Open, French Open, Us Open and Wimbledon.
That's why it is also called the "Calendar-year Grand Slam" or "Calendar Slam". Players get most ranking points, prize money, public and media attention in this prestigious Tennis tournament.
John McEnroe, the American former Tennis player is in the 10th place of the top ten list of most matches won in Grand Slams.
Between 1977 and 1992 John McEnroe won 167 Grand Slam men’s singles matches.
The majority of his wins came at Wimbledon and the US Open with McEnroe sporting an 18-5 record at the Australian Open and a 25-10 record at the French Open.
He has won seven Grand Slam singles title including four at the US Open and three at Wimbledon.
Besides, he has won nine Grand Slam men's doubles titles- five at Wimbledon and four at the US Open and one Grand Slam mixed doubles title at the French Open.
Stefan Edberg is the master of the serve-and-volley style in tennis. The former Swedish tennis player once served as a coach for the defending champion Roger Federer.
Edberg has won six Grand Slam singles titles and three Grand Slam men's doubles titles between 1985 and 1996.
Edberg claimed his personal high tally (56 match wins) at the Australian Open, playing the event at two different venues.
Although both his titles in Melbourne came on the grass courts of the Kooyong Stadium.
Ivan Lendl was the player from Czechoslovakia but later he obtained American citizenship. He is recognized as one of the greatest tennis player of all time.
Lendl was all out on 222 as he rounded off his 17-year professional career.
He won 205 matches at Grand Slam tournaments representing Czechoslovakia and 17 matches after his defection to the United States.
The former professional tennis player has achieved eight major singles titles and played 19 major finals.
He was runner-up a joint record 11 times, tied with Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.
The American world No.1 tennis player, Andre Agassi has to retire early from tennis as he was suffering from Sciatica. Still he has made many achievements in his tennis career.
He is the eight-time champion of major singles titles. He is an Olympic gold medalist as well as runner-up of seven other majors.
Agassi finished his career second on this list but would later be overtaken by the members of the big three.
Jimmy Connors was the second man in the Open Era to win three major titles in a calendar year.
Though he didn't permit to play the fourth major. The American former tennis player has achieved eight major singles titles- five US Open, two Wimbledons and one Australian Open.
Before the big three, Jimmy Connors held an impressive Grand Slam match win tally that some thought was unsurpassable.
The Swiss tennis player has won 20 major singles titles and a record six-year Wimbledon titles. he break Pete Sampras' record of 14 major singles titles at Wimbledon in 2009.
His final Grand Slam match was his defeat to Hubert Hurkacz at the 2021 edition of Wimbledon.
Novak Djokovic is set to be the top seed in Men's singles in the Paris Olympics 2024 after Jannik Sinner pulled out of the Olympic Games due to illness.
World No 1 Jannik Sinner was set to be the top seed in the men’s singles draw, and in the men’s doubles draw alongside fellow Italian Lorenzo Musetti. In Sinner's absence, Novak Djokovic is set to be the top seed in Men's singles at the Paris Olympics 2024. The brackets will feature 64 players, resulting in 16 seeded players. To win the gold, one must win six matches. The top 16 pre-seeded players won't face each other in the first two rounds. The players from the same country also cannot face each other in the first two rounds.
Novak Djokovic is likely making his last Olympic Games appearance and will be searching for his first gold medal. Djokovic won singles bronze at Beijing 2008 but a gold medal is the one prize he doesn't have won in his historic career.
The favourite for the gold is world No 3 and third seed, Carlos Alcaraz. Alcaraz is making his Olympic Games debut and coming after winning the French Open and Wimbledon, making him the most in-form player on tour.
Alexander Zverev is also a contender for the gold. World No. 5 Daniil Medvedev will compete as an authorized neutral athlete and is projected to be the fifth seed.
From Nadal's water bottle, Tamberi's half-beard, and making boyfriend wearing lucky socks: Top superstitions at Paris Olympics 2024
Despite the capacity for careful calculation, athletes understand there will always be elements beyond their control. Let's take a look at the top superstitions at Paris Olympics 2024 that will help athletes get competition-ready.
The life of a professional athlete is one of precision. Despite the capacity for careful calculation, they understand there will always be elements beyond their control. This may be why many athletes lean just as much on their pregame rituals as they do on their months of preparation. Because in the seconds before the big match, tournament, or race, who wouldn’t want any help they could get? Let's take a look at the top superstitions at Paris Olympics 2024that will help athletes get competition-ready.
Rafael Nadal is well-known for his many behaviours, both superstitious and routine. The on-court routine of Rafael Nadal has been among the most discussed topics in tennis. In almost every match, the Spaniard takes a sip of each of his two bottles and places them in a certain position. He meticulously arranges his water bottles so that the labels face the same direction. He also follows a strict sequence of actions, such as not touching the court lines and performing a specific routine with his shirt, hair, and face before serving a shot.
Naomi Osaka and her superstitions about bottles
Four-time Grand Slam winner Naomi Osaka wants her water bottles to be completely aligned. She believes most athletes have very strong superstitions. Like Nadal, her ritual revolves around the precise arrangement of the bottles, making sure they are facing the same direction and placed in a specific order.
Daniil Medvedev also has the “crazy” rituals. He had one rigid routine that he followed before every match. Although Medvedev is pretty flexible when it comes to switching up his routines, he admitted there was one thing he always had to keep the same and couldn’t do even one second too late, which is his eating habits. Medvedev always eats exactly 2 hours and 30 minutes before his matches.
Gianmarco Tamberi's signature look
Italian high jumper Gianmarco Tamberi known for his beard, which is half shaved, has been his signature style since 2011. Tamberi won the European Athletics Championships in Rome. After the competition, when he was presented with his gold medal during the awards ceremony, he stepped on the podium with his beard fully shaven. Tamberi has been ranked as the No. 1 high jumper in Europe for 135 weeks. He will carry the Italian flag at the 2024 Paris Olympics opening ceremony.
Carissa Moore's husband wears her lucky socks
American surfer Carissa Moore, a five-time world champion, has a unique superstition that relies not on herself but on her boyfriend. The Tokyo 2020 Olympic champion firmly believes that her boyfriend's socks bring her good fortune on the waves.
Vashti Cunningham, the American high jumper watches Kill Bill, the night before every competition. She also does Bible study along with her father before going out and getting ready for warm-up and jumping.
Besides Vashti, Brazilian volleyball player Darlan Souza performs a Naruto-inspired move before serving. While American Olympic golf champion Nelly Korda always carries three tees in her hair, which she replaces only when they break. And Paralympic triathlete Melissa Stockwell is wearing a lucky dinosaur given to her by her son.
Barbora Krejčíková in women's singles was proclaimed Wimbledon 2024 champion, she defeated Jasmine Paolini of Italy. Let's have a look at the women's Wimbledon Champion list from the last 10 years.
The World's biggest Tennis tournament,Wimbledonor TheChampionshipsis the oldest Tennis tournament so far. It is considered as the most prestigious tournament. It has been organized at the All England Club in Wimbledon, London since 1877.Grand Slamhas four Tennis tournaments, and Wimbledon is one of them. The Australian Open, theFrench Openand theUS Openare the other three tournaments. Wimbledon is the only tournament played on Grass courts.
The Wimbledon Championship 2024 was the 137th time Championships. There were five main events, four junior events, and seven invitation events. Barbora Krejčíková in women's singles was proclaimed Wimbledon 2024 champion, she defeated Jasmine Paolini of Italy. There are many more champions who have won women's singles titles. So, let's have a look at the women's Wimbledon Champion list from the last 10 years.
1. 2014 Wimbledon Championships Winner- Petra Kvitová
Petra Kvitova swept past Canada's Eugenie Bouchard with a stunning performance of controlled power to win her second Wimbledon title. The Czech sixth seed reclaimed the title she first won in 2011 with a 6-3 6-0 victory. It was the 24-year-old's second major title. Kvitova did a similar demolition job on Maria Sharapova to win Wimbledon for the first time three years ago. It was also the quickest ladies’ final at Wimbledon for 31 years, since Martina Navratilova, also a Czech and an even more famous left-hander, routed Andrea Jaeger in the 1983 final.
2. 2015 Wimbledon Championships Winner- Serena Williams
Serena Williams beat Spain's Garbine Muguruza to win Wimbledon for the sixth time and complete the 'Serena Slam' as the holder of all four major titles. The 33-year-old American won 6-4 6-4 on Centre Court to claim her 21st Grand Slam title and third of 2015. It's another mark in the history books for the player who many already consider the greatest woman to have ever played the game. Serena also became the oldest slam champion of the modern era by beating her excellent opponent, 12 years her junior.
3. 2016 Wimbledon Championships Winner-Serena Williams
Serena Williams had finally won her 22nd Grand Slam title, besting Angelique Kerber in the finals at Wimbledon 2016. The American, 34, coped with a gusty wind on Centre Court to win 7-5 6-3. With this, she got her seventh singles title on the grass courts of The Championships, and she had finally tied Steffi Graf for the most major titles in the Open Era.
Garbine Muguruza defeated Venus Williams 7-5, 6-0 to clinch the 2017 Wimbledon women's singles championship, the second major title of her career. It was a strange contest, the first women’s final under the roof. The Spaniard finished as runner-up to the American's sister, Serena, in this same fixture two years ago but claimed some redemption after sailing to this year's crown.
Angelique Kerber beat seven-time champion Serena Williams to win her first Wimbledon title and spoil the American's dream comeback as a mother. The German 11th seed, 30, beat the 23-time Grand Slam champion 6-3 6-3 to add this title to her 2016 Australian Open and US Open crowns.
Simona Halep has made Wimbledon history by becoming the first Romanian to win the Grand Slam with a 6-2, 6-2 victory over seven-time champion Serena Williams. She won her first Grand Slam title at last year’s French Open but had gone into her first final here as the clear underdog.
Ashleigh Barty claimed her first Wimbledon title - and second singles Grand Slam crown, beating Karolina Pliskova 6-3 6-7 (7-4) 6-3 in a rollercoaster women's singles final. Barty, who claimed a first Grand Slam title at Roland Garros two years ago, was the first Australian to lift the Venus Rosewater Dish since her idol Evonne Goolagong Cawley won the second of two Wimbledon titles in 1980. She was only the third Australian woman to triumph in the Open era, joining Goolagong Cawley (also the 1971 winner) and 1970 champion Margaret Court.
8. 2022 Wimbledon Championships winner- Elena Rybakina
Elena Rybakina became the first player representing Kazakhstan to win a Grand Slam singles championship with a 3-6, 6-2, 6-2 victory against No.3 Ons Jabeur. After sealing her first championship point with a service winner, Rybakina celebrated the 1-hour, 48-minute win with barely a fist pump. In the first Wimbledon title match between first-time Grand Slam finalists of the Open Era, Rybakina, 23, also became the youngest woman to lift the Venus Rosewater Dish since 21-year-old Petra Kvitova in 2011. She was also the fourth-youngest active major champion on the Hologic WTA Tour, older than only Iga Swiatek, Bianca Andreescu, and Emma Raducanu.
Markéta Vondroušová made history as the first unseeded player to win the ladies singles championship at Wimbledon in a stunning 6-4, 6-4 upset over the No. 6 seed Ons Jabeur, who was the runner-up for a second straight year. The 24-year-old lefty joins two other Czech-born left-handers, Martina Navratilova and Petra Kvitová to take home the Wimbledon title.
Barbora Krejcikova is the Wimbledon ladies' singles champion after the 31st seed earned an impressive 6-2 2-6 6-4 win over Jasmine Paolini to claim the title for the first time. Heading into the Wimbledon final, Krejcikova was a seven-time Major doubles champion, the 2021 French Open singles winner and an Olympic gold medallist. She had even completed the career Slam in doubles, winning each of the four big titles at least once.
Novak Djokovic vs Carlos Alcaraz head-to-head stats
If Djokovic wins a record-tying 25th major on Sunday, he will become the oldest champion in Wimbledon history. Djokovic, leading Alcaraz 3-2 in the ATP head2head series, will be eager to avenge that defeat.
Novak Djokovic moved one win closer to capturing a record-equalling eighth Wimbledon title when he ended 25th seed Lorenzo Musetti's dream in straight sets and sought revenge on defending champion Carlos Alcaraz in the final. Novak Djokovic vs Carlos Alcaraz match will be the rematch of last year's final which the Spaniard won in five sets.
If the 37-year-old Serbian wins a record-tying 25th major on Sunday, he will become the oldest champion in Wimbledon history. Djokovic, leading Alcaraz 3-2 in the ATP head2head series, will be eager to avenge that defeat and equal Roger Federer's record eight Wimbledon crowns.
Novak Djokovic vs Carlos Alcaraz Match Info
Men's Singles Final: July 14, Sunday
Venue:AELTC Wimbledon Qualifying and Community Sports Ground
Location:London, England
Court Surface:Grass
Novak Djokovic vs Carlos Alcaraz head-to-head
Year
Event
Round
Winning Player
Losing Player
Score / Result
2022
Madrid Masters
SF
Alcaraz
Djokovic
6-7(5), 7-5, 7-6(5)
2023
French Open
SF
Djokovic
Alcaraz
6-3, 5-7, 6-1, 6-1
2023
Wimbledon
Final
Alcaraz
Djokovic
1-6, 7-6(6), 6-1, 3-6, 6-4
2023
Cincinnati Masters
Final
Djokovic
Alcaraz
5-7, 7-6(7), 7-6(4)
2023
Nitto ATP Finals
SF
Djokovic
Alcaraz
6-3, 6-2
Novak Djokovic vs Carlos Alcaraz: Form against each other
In the past two years against one another, Djokovic has three wins and Alcaraz has one. In their last match, on November 18, 2023, Djokovic won 6-3, 6-2. Djokovic has clinched nine sets against Alcaraz (64.3%), while Alcaraz has taken five. In 136 total games against one another, Djokovic has taken 77, while Alcaraz has claimed 59. When going head-to-head, Alcaraz and Djokovic have averaged 34 games and 3.5 sets in their four matches against each other.
Djokovic's 2024 performance
Djokovic has captured zero tournament victories on the year, with an overall record of 16-6. In 2024, Djokovic hasn't yet played a match on grass. He is averaging 27.3 games per match (33.2 in best-of-five matches) through his 22 matches played this year across all court surfaces, posting a 57.7% game-winning percentage. Djokovic has put up a service game-winning percentage of 82.1% on all surfaces (247-for-301 in service games) and a return game-winning percentage of 33.1% (99-for-299 in return games).
Alcaraz has won two of his nine tournaments this year, with an overall match record of 32-6. He has a match record of 7-1 on grass courts so far this year. Alcaraz has competed in 38 matches this year (across all court types), and 26.6 games per match (34.4 in best-of-five matches). The World No. 3 has won 35.6% of his return games this year, while also winning 83.5% of his service games.