Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz found himself in the same half of the draw as reigning Australian Open winner Jannik Sinner after the men’s singles draw for the 137th edition of the Wimbledon Championships was announced at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in London on Friday, implying a possible blockbuster semifinal clash on the cards.
Alcaraz, who overcame the mighty Novak Djokovic in the Wimbledon final last year, winning in five sets, beat Sinner earlier last month en route to his maiden French Open haul and a third Grand Slam title. The Spaniard currently leads the Italia 5-4 in tour meetings, including both meetings in 2024. However, Sinner won the only grass-court encounter in their freshly brewing rivalry, winning in four sets in the 2022 Wimbledon pre-quarters.
Third seed Alcaraz, who will open his campaign against Estonia qualifier Mark Lajal, is likely to meet Frenchman Ugo Humbert in the fourth round and one between eighth seed Casper Ruud and Queen’s champion Tommy Paul in the quarter-finals.
Top seed, on the other hand, will be up against Germany’s Yannick Hanfmann in the first round and could take on 2021 finalist Matteo Berrettini in the second round, American Ben Shelton in the fourth round, and 2023 semi-finalist Daniil Medvedev in the quarters. Sinner also has India’s Sumit Nagal in the same quarter. He became the first Indian in five years to feature in the main draw and will be up against Serbia’s Miomir Kecmanović in the first round.
Meanwhile, Novak Djokovic, who is yet to officially confirm his participation in the Wimbledon Championships, having withdrawn from the quarterfinals of the Roland Garros last month due to a knee injury, is projected to face seventh seed Hubert Hurkacz in the quarter-finals. This will be their third Wimbledon meeting, with the Serb having won both matches in four sets.
The seven-time Wimbledon winner is likely to play fourth seed Alexander Zverev, who is yet to make it past the fourth round at the SW19, in the semi-finals. The German is projected to take on 13th seed Taylor Fritz in the fourth round and sixth seed Andrey Rublev in the quarter-finals.