Wimbledon’s two-year hiatus ends on Monday when play gets under way in the 2021 Championships.
Big names Rafael Nadal, Naomi Osaka and Simona Halep have all withdrawn but it promises to be another fascinating fortnight on the lawns of SW19.
Here, the PA news agency picks out six first-round matches that are not to be missed.
Novak Djokovic v Jack Draper
Francesca Jones v Coco Gauff
Ashleigh Barty v Carla Suarez Navarro
Nick Kyrgios v Ugo Humbert
Sheeeshhhh, Ugo not again mannnnnnn
— Nicholas Kyrgios (@NickKyrgios) June 25, 2021
Playing on grass persuaded Kyrgios to leave Australia for the first time since before the coronavirus pandemic started. It remains to be seen what condition the 26-year-old is in but he showed at the Australian Open that, on the big stage, he remains a serious danger. In the second round in Melbourne he claimed a dramatic five-set win over Frenchman Humbert, who is at a career-high ranking of 25 after winning the grass-court title in Halle last week.
Iga Swiatek v Hsieh Su-wei
Sebastian Korda v Alex De Minaur
✅ Bautista Agut✅ Nishikori
Two big scalps for ?? @SebiKorda as he makes the quarter-finals at @ATPHalle ? #NoventiOpen pic.twitter.com/yVViD7pGSS
— ATP Tour (@atptour) June 17, 2021
A meeting between two of the brightest young talents in the men’s game. Australian De Minaur is already a top-20 player and someone who enjoys playing on grass – he is challenging for the title in Eastbourne this week. Twenty-year-old Korda is the son of former Australian Open champion Petr, and has leapt up to 50th in the rankings. He won his first ATP title on clay in Parma earlier this year.
