The 138th Wimbledon Championship begins Monday, with 256 men and women drawn into brackets early this morning to compete for the $4.1 million grand prize.
All-England lawn tennis and croquet club from above. (Julian Finney/Getty Images)
The All-England Lawn Tennis and Crockett Club, which has hosted Wimbledon since its first event in 1877, has 18 match courts and another 20 practice courts. However, the tournament also relies on 34 qualifying courts and 16 additional clinic courts at two nearby venues.
Classic Wimbledon bouquet. (Adam Davy/PA images via Getty Images)
Growing and maintaining grass in all of these courts is not an easy task. Also, it cannot be grown with 28,000 plants that make this tournament as beautiful as its iconic one. The head gardener told Athletic ($), that 20 teams are needed to ensure that “day 14 (looks) is as good as day 1.”
Alcaraz during this week’s practice session. (Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
On the men’s side, the question is whether they can stop two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz, who won 18 consecutive matches.
Turn to Alina’s awards. (Adam Davy/PA images via Getty Images)
And on the women’s side, no. Aryna Sabalenka of 1 tries to tame the only major she has never reached the final. She finished as runner-up in each of the first two majors of the year.
There are everything else you need to know about this year’s tournament.
