Wimbledon kicks off with Sinner number 1 and record prize money

It is a special Wimbledon, for Italian tennis fans, the one that opens on 1 July (it will close on the 14th). With an Italian world number 1 for the first time in history, the already high expectations for the most prestigious tournament on the circuit (the first time was played in 1877) are raised even higher. Alongside Jannik Sinner are all the big names, from No. 2 Novak Djokovic, on court after knee surgery in Paris, to defending champion Carlos Alcaraz (No. 3) and then Zverev, Medvedev, Rublev and all the others.

The Italian patrol in London is large and can do well in the third Slam of the year, which boasts a record prize money of 50 million pounds, 11.9% higher than in 2023 (doubled compared to ten years ago): the champion and the champion of this edition will take home 2.7 million pounds, the finalist exactly half, the semifinalist(s) 715 thousand, but even those who play the first round do not do badly with 60 thousand pounds.

Jannik Sinner, 23 years old on 16 August, fresh winner on the German grass at Halle (in the final against Hubi Hurkacz) after successes at the Australian Open, in Rotterdam and Miami, last year in London he lost in the semifinals to Djokovic (who then succumbed to Alcaraz). The draw was not kind to the Italian, who ended up on the side of the Spaniard who defeated him in the semifinals at Roland Garros: he would find Alcaraz again in the semifinals, after a path that would include a possible derby with Matteo Berrettini in the second round, the American Shelton in the eighth round, Medvedev or Dimitrov in the quarters. The opener will be Monday 1 July on court 1 against Germany's Yannick Hanfmann. There are many Italians competing, the toughest test in the first round falls to Matteo Arnaldi, who will face the American Francis Tiafoe; for Lorenzo Musetti, a finalist at Queen's (where he lost to Tommy Paul) the first match is with the Frenchman Constant Lestienne. Lorenzo Sonego (with Mariano Navone), Fabio Fognini (with Luca Van Assche), Flavio Cobolli (with Rinky Hijikata), Luca Nardi (with Tomas M. Etcheverry), Luciano Darderi (with wild card Jan Choinski) are also on the court. There is also great expectation for the doubles, where our Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori - already finalists in Melbourne and Paris, and fresh triumphants in Halle - have a very good chance of making it to the end.

World number one Iga Swiatek, fresh from her success in Paris, is aiming to improve her performance on grass. Her best performance at Wimbledon was last year (when she won the tournament over the Czech Marketa Vondrousova), in which she stopped in the quarters. Number 2 Coco Gauff will give her a fight, not number 3 Aryna Sabalenka, who withdrew due to injury. Also Jasmine Paolini, seventh in the ranking and in a golden moment after the final at Roland Garros and the semi-final on the grass at Eastbourne, will certainly have her say: for her the debut is with the Spanish Sara Sorribes. Next to Jasmine, the other Italian players, apart from Elisabetta Cocciaretto who unfortunately forfeited due to a viral illness: there will be Lucia Bronzetti (with Leylah Fernandez), Sara Errani (with Linda Noskova), Martina Trevisan (with Madison Keys). All eyes are also on the doubles, in which the Paolini-Errani pair - winner in Rome and finalist in Paris - is seeded number 5.

Last November's Davis Cup victory and Jannik Sinner's run culminating in victory at the Australian Open in January marked a before and after in the history of Italian tennis: it was since 1976, when Italy won Davis in Chile and Adriano Panatta triumphed in Paris, that such results were expected. It is not enough. Today Italy has nine players among the top 100, six of them between 20 and 23 years old, and is therefore looking forward to the next goals, starting with the Olympics (where Sinner will play doubles with Musetti). The response of the fans is felt with 820,000 Fitp members: after football, tennis is the most popular sport at the moment.