Elena Rybakina up against Shelby Rogers in Wimbledon opener, Novak Djokovic to face Pedro Cachin

LONDON – Elena Rybakina will need “everything to be working” in her favour, if she is to retain her women’s singles title when the 136th edition of Wimbledon gets under way on Monday.

The Kazakh third seed was drawn against American Shelby Rogers in the opening round of the grass-court Grand Slam after the draw at the All England Club on Friday, while men’s second seed Novak Djokovic will begin his title defence against Argentina’s 67th-ranked Pedro Cachin.

The draw also pitched women’s top seed Iga Swiatek against China’s 33rd-ranked Zhu Lin, a potentially tricky first hurdle for the Polish star.

Second seed Aryna Sabalenka, who could not play in 2022 because of Wimbledon’s ban on Russian and Belarusian players after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, will open her campaign against Hungarian Panna Udvardy.

There has been talk that women’s tennis is beginning to form a “Big Three” of Rybakina, Swiatek and Sabalenka, and three-time Wimbledon champion Chris Evert believes that Rybakina has a slight edge to retaining her title.

“She’s got the perfect game for grass when everything is working, but everything has to be working,” she said when previewing the tournament for ESPN this week.

“It’s always tough to defend your title. I just feel like she’s shown a little vulnerability this year.

“She played a great, great match when she won the tournament but, at the same time, I don’t know if she’s at that top form right now.

“You definitely have to be 100 per cent physically to play seven matches and to do things with your body that you’re not accustomed to doing versus a hard court or a clay court.”

Veteran American Venus Williams will face Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina in one of the standout matches of the first round.

American teenager Coco Gauff, whom many are tipping for a long run, has a tough opener against fellow former French Open runner-up and compatriot Sofia Kenin, who won the 2020 Australian Open.

The projected women’s quarter-finals based on seedings could see a clash between Swiatek and seventh seed Gauff, while Rybakina could face Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur in a repeat of the 2022 final.

Swiatek – who had to withdraw from the Bad Homburg semi-finals on Friday due to suspected food poisoning – is positioned to face American fourth seed Jessica Pegula in the semi-finals.

In the men’s draw, Djokovic, who has won the last four men’s titles at Wimbledon and is bidding to match Roger Federer’s eight, is not seeded first – having been replaced at the top of the rankings by Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz.

The Serb could have a potential rematch of the 2022 final against Nick Kyrgios looming in the quarter-finals.

The Australian firebrand, who has hardly played this season and whose participation is in doubt because of injury, plays dangerous Belgian wild card David Goffin in a standout first-round clash.

Djokovic could face Andrey Rublev or Felix Auger-Aliassime in the last eight should Kyrgios not make it, with his projected semi-final to come against Jannik Sinner or Casper Ruud, whom he beat in the French Open final in June.

Top seed Alcaraz has not been beyond the fourth round at Wimbledon in two appearances, but is finding his feet on grass after winning at Queen’s Club last week.

He starts against Frenchman Jeremy Chardy, but has a tricky path through to the latter stages with the prospect for a rematch of the Queen’s final against Alex de Minaur in the fourth round and world No. 6 Holger Rune in the quarter-finals.

“I ended the week playing at a high level, so right now I feel like one of the favourites to win Wimbledon,” Alcaraz said.

“But Novak is the main favourite... I’ll try to play at this level to have chances to beat him or make the final.”

Russian third seed Daniil Medvedev, a potential semi-final opponent for Alcaraz, returns with a first-round clash against British wild card Arthur Fery.

Home favourite Andy Murray, bidding for an unlikely third title at the age of 36, plays another British wild card in Ryan Peniston.

Murray could face fifth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas in the second round, although the latter must first get past 2020 US Open champion Dominic Thiem, who has tumbled down the rankings. REUTERS, AFP