LONDON — Defending champion Novak Djokovic avoided his three biggest traditional rivals in the Wimbledon draw on Friday as the other members of tennis’ “Big Four” were all placed on the opposite side.
Serena Williams had no such luck in the women’s draw, where she may have to beat a trio of former No. 1s – sister Venus, Victoria Azarenka and Maria Sharapova – just to reach the final.
WIMBLEDON
WHEN: Monday-July 12
DEFENDING CHAMPS: Men’s – Novak Djokovic; Women’s – Petra Kvitova
TELEVISION: ESPN
The draw at the All England Club set up intriguing possibilities, especially with former champs Roger Federer, Andy Murray and Rafael Nadal all grouped together in the bottom half of men’s play. Murray and Nadal could face each other in the quarters, with Federer possible awaiting the winner in the semis.
The bottom half also includes former finalist Tomas Berdych and former semifinalist Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, leaving Djokovic facing a possible semifinal against Stan Wawrinka, who beat him in the French Open final.
Djokovic does face a potentially tricky start of the tournament, though, as he’ll open play on Centre Court on Monday against German veteran Philipp Kohlschreiber and could face Australian former No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt in the second round.
Another Australian, Bernard Tomic, could then await Djokovic in the third round, while Kei Nishikori of Japan is a potential quarterfinal opponent.
Two-time champion Nadal is seeded only No. 10 this year and could face fellow Spaniard David Ferrer in the fourth round.
Murray was given one of the toughest possible draws as he tries to win the tournament for a second time, with the home favorite potentially facing Tsonga in the fourth round, Nadal in the quarters, Federer in the semis and Djokovic in the final.
Federer will start his quest for an eighth title against Damir Dzumhur of Bosnia-Herzegovina.
In women’s play, top-ranked Williams opens play against Margarita Gasparyan of Russia. Defending champion Petra Kvitova is in the other half, and could face Eugenie Bouchard of Canada in the quarterfinals
Copy the Story LinkSend questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.