Advertisement

When does Wimbledon 2021 start? How to watch, who's playing and everything you need to know

LONDON, LONDON - JUNE 28:  An aerial view a roofless Centre Court and the outside courts taken from the BBC elevated camera position during day four of the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on June 28, 2007 in London, England.  (Photo by Glyn Kirk/AELTC/Pool/Getty Images)
We will not see the courts this packed to begin with. (Glyn Kirk/AELTC/Pool/Getty Images) (Pool via Getty Images)

One of the world's biggest tennis championships returns to Wimbledon this year after a turbulent 2020 saw the COVID-19 pandemic shut our doors to large gatherings.

As the virus raged on, organisers were forced to cancel last year's tournament. The only other times it has not gone ahead since its inception in 1877 was during both World Wars.

Things will look a bit different this year, with seats at 50 per cent capacity at earlier stages, moving to full capacity for the finals in both Centre Court and Court No.1.

As the nation gears up for Wimbledon's return, here is a run down of what you need to know.

When does Wimbledon start?

The matches will begin on Monday 28 June. Qualifying began on 21 June – but this is not open to the public this year. The hopefuls battling it out for a place in the main draw are listed here.

LONDON, ENGLAND - JUNE 28:  A general view of Centre court as Alison Riske of the United States plays against Maria Sharapova of Russia in their Ladies' Singles third round match on day six of the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club at Wimbledon on June 28, 2014 in London, England.  (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)
Centre Court in 2014 (Al Bello/Getty Images) (Al Bello via Getty Images)

Can I get tickets to Wimbledon?

Ticket information is here on the Wimbledon website, and you need to register to have access to the sale.

The initial sale has closed but Wimbledon says there will be more opportunities coming up. There will be no queuing for tickets this year, so you will have to purchase them online.

Do be careful about buying tickets from other sources though- the All England Lawn Tennis Club warns that passes from unauthorised sources will not give you access to the grounds. Wimbledon ticket prices range from £20 to £270.

I'm not going, how do I watch Wimbledon?

The live games are aired on BBC and BBC One. To watch replays or live games in other courts, you can press the red button on your remote. Alternatively, you can watch on Eurosport.

Where can I find the Wimbledon schedule?

The order of play is released the night before the next day's play but a provisional schedule is available on the Wimbledon website.

When is the Wimbledon final?

The Ladies' Singles final is on Saturday 10 July and the Men's Singles final is on Sunday 11 July.

The rest of the finals, namely the Quad Wheelchair Singles and Doubles, the Boys and Girls Singles and Doubles, Ladies' and Men's Doubles, and Mixed Doubles, will be spread across Friday 9 July to Sunday 11 July.

The exact days are still to be confirmed but the provisional schedule for these is available on the Wimbledon website.

Watch: Wimbledon in numbers

Names of Wimbledon players to look out for

Men's Tennis

Novak Djokovic

Grand Slams are the four biggest tennis tournaments of the year- Australian Open in mid January, French Open (also known as Roland-Garros) from late May to early June, Wimbledon in late June to early July, and the US Open in August to September.

The current world number one is the first male player in the Open Era to have won each Grand Slam at least twice and with 19 of those already, he is a popular favourite to be back on the world-famous grass court this year.

LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 14: Novak Djokovic of Serbia with the winners trophy after defeating Roger Federer of Switzerland (not pictured)  in the Men's Singles Final  at The Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championship at the All England Lawn and Tennis Club at Wimbledon on July 14, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Simon Bruty/Anychance/Getty Images)
Novak Djokovic proudly displays the winner's trophy after defeating Roger Federer in 2019. (Simon Bruty/Anychance/Getty Images) (Simon M Bruty via Getty Images)

Roger Federer

The 39-year-old 20-time Grand Slam champion will be back again. The Swiss player has been missed this year, withdrawing before the Australian Open and in the French Open due to knee surgeries and needed more time to recover.

LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 14: Roger Federer of Switzerland in action during the Men's Singles Final against Novak Djokovic of Serbia ( not pictured) at The Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championship at the All England Lawn and Tennis Club at Wimbledon on July 14, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Simon Bruty/Anychance/Getty Images)
Roger Federer in action in the Men's Singles at Wimbledon in 2019 (Simon Bruty/Anychance/Getty Images) (Simon M Bruty via Getty Images)

Read more: Wimbledon etiquette: The do's, don'ts and dress code of the tennis

Ladies' Tennis

Serena Williams

The 39-year-old is going for her 24th singles Grand Slam this year. Williams has seven Wimbledon titles and is still going strong. If she wins this year, she will tie with Margaret Court, who won her 24th Grand Slam back in 1973.

LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 13: Serena Williams of USA in action during the Women's Singles Final against Simona Halep of Romania (not pictured) at The Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championship at the All England Lawn and Tennis Club at Wimbledon on July 13, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Simon Bruty/Anychance/Getty Images)
Serena Williams in action during Wimbledon's Ladies' Singles Final in 2019. (Simon Bruty/Anychance/Getty Images) (Simon M Bruty via Getty Images)

Venus Williams

At 41, the seven-time Grand Slam winner five-time Wimbledon champion has not hung up her racket yet. The elder Williams sister has been handed a wild card for the tournament, meaning her world ranking is not high enough to skip qualifiers and enter the championships straight away but has been accepted into the main draw.

Will she hold up the Venus Rosewater Dish one more time?

Venus Williams celebrates winning the Women's Singles final  (Photo by Adam Davy - PA Images via Getty Images)
Venus Williams proudly clutches the Venus Rosewater Dish after her win in 2005. (Adam Davy - PA Images via Getty Images) (Adam Davy - EMPICS via Getty Images)

Other rising stars include Coco Gauff, who burst onto the scene aged just 15 during the Wimbledon 2019 Championships.

Crowds were stunned after a surprising win against Venus Williams in the first round 6-4, 6-4, and shocked again when she broke back from match point against Slovenia's Polona Hercog. Now aged 17, she has reached world number 23 in the WTA rankings and will be back this year.

US player Cori Gauff is congratulated by US player Venus Williams after winning their women's singles first round match on the first day of the 2019 Wimbledon Championships at The All England Lawn Tennis Club in Wimbledon, southwest London, on July 1, 2019. (Photo by Ben STANSALL / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE        (Photo credit should read BEN STANSALL/AFP via Getty Images)
Williams and Gauff shake hands at the net. (Ben Stansall/AFP via Getty Images) (BEN STANSALL via Getty Images)

Who won't we see at Wimbledon?

Rafael Nadal

Nadal pulled out of Wimbledon two weeks before the tournament – announcing he would also not be taking part in the Tokyo Olympics next month.

In a statement on his Twitter, the 20-time grand slam champion highlighted the "demanding clay court season" making it tough to recuperate.

Spain's Rafael Nadal returns against Switzerland's Roger Federer during their men's singles semi-final match on day 11 of the 2019 Wimbledon Championships at The All England Lawn Tennis Club in Wimbledon, southwest London, on July 12, 2019. (Photo by Ben STANSALL / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE        (Photo credit should read BEN STANSALL/AFP via Getty Images)
Nadal will not be part of Wimbledon this year as he takes time off to recover. (Ben Stansall /AFP via Getty Images) (BEN STANSALL via Getty Images)

Naomi Osaka

Four-time grand slam champion Naomi Osaka also pulled out of Wimbledon in June The women's world number two withdrew from the French Open last month citing pressure on her mental health.

LONDON, ENGLAND - July 01:  Naomi Osaka of Japan in action against Yulia Putintseva of Kazakhstan on Centre Court during the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club at Wimbledon on July 01, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Tim Clayton/Corbis via Getty Images)
Naomi Osaka in action during Wimbledon 2019 (Tim Clayton/Corbis via Getty Images) (Tim Clayton - Corbis via Getty Images)

Watch: Naomi Osaka pulls out of Wimbledon