Tennis: Alcaraz, Sinner and Gauff are the headlines on opening day

By Martyn Herman

LONDON (Reuters) – Carlos Alcaraz will be the main attraction on the opening day of Wimbledon as the Spaniard begins his bid to defend his title, while later in the day world number one Jannik Sinner will look to make an early statement in his opening match.

Alcaraz, 21, defeated Novak Djokovic a year ago and has since taken his Grand Slam haul to three by winning the French Open earlier this month. Although he is only seeded third, he will likely be the favorite to finish fourth.

He will play the first of hopefully seven matches on Centre Court against Estonian qualifier Mark Lajal, becoming only the fourth player in the professional era to win four Grand Slam tournaments at the age of 21 or younger.

Lajal, ranked 269th in the world and one week younger than Alcaraz, is aiming to become the third man in history to beat the defending champion in the first round of Wimbledon.

“Of course I want to put my name on the shortlist to win Roland Garros and Wimbledon in the same year,” Alcaraz told reporters, adding that this feat could put him alongside Rafa Nadal, Roger Federer and Djokovic.

“I know it’s going to be a really difficult and big challenge for me, but I think I’m ready to tackle it.”

The Italian Sinner, who won the Australian Open this year and pushed Novak Djokovic off the top of the world rankings, faces a far more experienced opponent in the German Yannick Hanfmann.

The opening day of Centre Court will see exciting matches on the home team’s schedule as Emma Raducanu returns after an injury last year.

The 2021 US Open champion, who needed a wildcard to advance in the rankings, faces a tough test against 22nd-seeded Russian Ekaterina Alexandrova.

“For me, this is just a great opportunity to get a good scalp, try to enjoy playing like I have in the last few weeks and just get back into it,” Raducanu said.

Coco Gauff, who is enjoying a strong season, will close the opening day on Centre Court when the number two seed takes on her American colleague Caroline Dolehide, while on Court One, Aryna Sabalenka, the number three seed and many’s favourite to win the title, will open against American Emina Bektas.

“I think everyone has the same chances and it’s just a matter of who performs better this week,” said Gauff.

Russian Daniil Medvedev is first on Court One, Sinner ends the day on the second largest court.

Fans flocking to the All England Club, many of whom have camped out overnight, will be spoilt for choice as the outdoor courts feature big names, including eighth-seeded Norwegian Casper Ruud, who has more wins than any other player on the ATP Tour this year, taking on Australian Alex Bolt.

(Reporting by Martyn Herman; Editing by Toby Davis)