17 questions about Wimbledon 2022: Russian ban, People’s Sunday, Serena Williams
Known for being the most traditional of Grand Slams, Wimbledon has some changes planned for its 2022 edition
Spectators watch the men’s 2021 final on a large screen as they sit on Henman Hill (Panoramic)
When is Wimbledon 2022 due to take place?
Wimbledon 2022 is due to take place from June 27 to July 10, 2022. The qualifying competition will start on on Monday June 20 and run through Thursday June 23,
Where does the tournament take place?
Wimbledon takes place at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Church Road, south-west London. 2022 will be its 100th anniversary at that venue, and its 135th anniversary overall.
Will Russian and Belarusian players be allowed to compete at Wimbledon?
No. In April 2022, the All England Club announced that Russian and Belarusian players would not be allowed to participate in the 2022 Championships after the UK Government’s directional guidance for sporting bodies and events in the UK.
This means that Russian players – including top 10 men’s players Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev and top 15 women’s player Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova – and Belarusian players such as top 5 player Aryna Sabalenka and former world No 1 Victoria Azarenka – will not be allowed to play at Wimbledon or any of the lead-up grass court events in the United Kingdom.
Will Wimbledon have a ‘Middle Sunday’ or ‘People’s Sunday’ in 2022?
Excitingly, tournament organisers have now confirmed that there will be a full schedule on the Middle Sunday in 2022. Previously, it has been kept blank and used only in exceptional circumstances, with the second Monday of the tournament packed with all men’s and women’s fourth-round matches, known affectionately as ‘Manic Monday’.
But the organisers said in October 2021 that they would be putting out a full order of play for every day of the 2022 edition, allowing for a broader audience reach, greater accessibility, and a less frantic fourth-round schedule.
With Middle Sunday, the fourth-round singles schedule will be split over Sunday and Monday, eliminating ‘Manic Monday”, one of the most exciting days of the tournament.
Who are the defending champions?
Novak Djokovic is the defending men’s singles champion. He won his 20th Grand Slam at SW19 in 2021, beating Matteo Berrettini 6-7 (4), 6-4, 6-4, 6-3 in the final.
Ash Barty won the women’s singles title in 2021, beating Karolina Pliskova 6-3, 6-7 (4), 6-3 in the final. However, the Australian won’t be back to defend her title having retired from the sport in March 2022.
Here are the other defending champions for Wimbledon in 2022:
- Men’s doubles: Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic
- Women’s doubles: Hsieh Su-wei and Elise Mertens
- Mixed doubles: Neal Skupski and Desirae Krawczyk
- Wheelchair men’s singles: Joachim Gerard
- Wheelchair women’s singles: Diede de Groot
- Wheelchair quad singles: Dylan Alcott
- Wheelchair men’s doubles: Alfie Hewett and Gordon Reid
- Wheelchair women’s doubles: Yui Kamiji and Kordanne Whiley
- Wheelchair quad doubles: Andy Lapthorne and David Wagner
- Boys’ singles: Samir Banerjee
- Girls’ singles: Ane Mintegi del Olmo
- Boys’ doubles: Edas Butvilas and Alejandro Manzanera Pertusa
- Girls’ doubles: Kristina Dmitruk and Diana Shnaider
Is Serena Williams playing Wimbledon 2022?
Serena Williams, the player with more Grand Slam singles titles than any other male or female in the Open Era, will play at Wimbledon this year.
The 40-year-old sparked a frenzy on social media on Tuesday when she posted a photo of herself on Instagram, wearing grass-court shoes on a grass court, saying: “SW and SW19. It’s a date. 2022 See you there. Let’s Go #renasarmy“.
A few hours later, Wimbledon released its initial list of wildcards, with the seven-time champion and 23-time Grand Slam champion confirmed as an entrant into the women’s singles.
Who have been awarded wildcards for Wimbledon 2022?
The 23-time Grand Slam singles champion, Serena Williams, three-time Major winner Stan Wawrinka and surprise ‘s-Hertogenbosch champion Tim van Rijthoven have joined a host of British players in the list of wildcards already announced by the All England club. For the list of wildcards announced, click the link below.
How can I buy tickets for Wimbledon 2022?
The famous Queue returns for on-the-day sales in 2022. There will be no public ballot this year. Fans who won tickets in the 2020 ballot for the Championships that were ultimately cancelled can transfer their unused tickets to 2022 instead. Any returns will be available for purchase.
What will the capacity for Wimbledon 2022 be?
The current plan is for Wimbledon to be full to capacity. There are currently no restrictions for outdoor public events in England. The venue has 18 championship courts, including the show courts – Centre Court, No 1 Court and No 2 Court.
How was the tournament affected by the Covid-19 pandemic?
Wimbledon was the only Grand Slam to be cancelled during the Covid-19 pandemic. It did not take place in 2020.
Who has won at Wimbledon in previous years?
Martina Navratilova has won the most singles titles at SW19. She won Wimbledon nine times, including six in a row between 1982 and 1987. Roger Federer has eight men’s singles titles, five of them in a row between 2003 and 2007. Bjorn Borg also won five in succession, between 1976 and 1980.
The last British men’s singles champion at the All England Club was Andy Murray, who won the title in 2013, beating Novak Djokovic and most recently in 2016, beating Milos Raonic. The last British women’s singles champion was Virginia Wade, who beat Betty Stove in the 1977 final.
Emma Raducanu will be one of the favourites in 2022 having shot to global attention at Wimbledon in 2021 when she reached the fourth round without dropping a set before retiring against Ajla Tomljanovic and then winning the 2021 US Open as a qualifier.
How much prize money is there to be won at Wimbledon in 2022?
The prize money for Wimbledon in 2022 will be a record £40,350,000. This is a £5,334,000 (15 per cent) increase from the 2021 edition and a £2,350,000 (6.2 per cent) increase on the previous record figure that came in 2019. The prize money is equal across the men’s and women’s draws.
In 2022, the prize money for singles is as follows:
| Result | Prize Money |
| Winner | £2,000,000 |
| Runner-up | £1,050,000 |
| Semi-Finalist | £535,000 |
| Quarter-Finalist | £310,000 |
| Fourth Round | £190,000 |
| Third Round | £120,000 |
| Second Round | £78,000 |
| First Round | £50,000 |
Which TV channels will show Wimbledon 2022?
The BBC has the rights to show Wimbledon in the United Kingdom, as do Eurosport UK. In Australia, the tournament is broadcast by Channel Nine. Across Europe, it is broadcast on Eurosport or beIN Sport. In the USA, it is broadcast live on ESPN with highlights on the Tennis Channel. You can see the whole list of broadcasters from 2021 on the Wimbledon website.
Who is the Wimbledon Tournament Director?
Sally Bolton is the chief executive officer of the All England Lawn Tennis Club, the club that hosts the Championships.
Which of the big names will be missing from the All England Club this year?
Leaving aside those who are impacted by Wimbledon’s ban on Russian & Belarusian players, eight-time Wimbledon champion Roger Federer has said he will not be back in time for the grass-court swing in 2022.
World No 2 Alexander Zverev will also be missing the tournament after undergoing surgery on his right ankle after tearing his ligaments during his semi-final match against Rafael Nadal at the French Open.
What are the greatest moments in Wimbledon history?
Being the oldest tournament in the tennis world, Wimbledon has been witness to some great moments throughout its 134-year history.
Some of the greatest moments at the All England Club have been captured by our team in our “On This Day” series, which looks back at some of the most improtant moments in tennis history. Here are a sampling of some of them from Wimbledon.
Does Wimbledon have a social media presence?
Yes, you can follow all the action from Wimbledon on Twitter (3.8 million followers), Instagram (3.1 million followers) and Facebook (5.29 million followers).
Keep politics out of the sport. Officials are power mad. Tennis players are not invading Ukraine. Obviously a political not a professional decision. Behind the scenes payoffs? Fairly obvious.