Leading contenders – men

NOVAK DJOKOVIC

Seeding: 1

Born in Serbia in 1987, Novak Djokovic began playing tennis at the age of four. After a steady ascent to the top levels of the sport, he won his first Grand Slam, the Australian Open in 2008, and then led the Serbian national team to its first Davis Cup win in 2010. In 2011, he won three of the four Grand Slams and compiled a 43-match winning streak en route to claiming the world number 1 ranking for the first time. Widely regarded as one the best men’s tennis players of all time, he is the only player to win all four majors, all nine ATP Masters 1000 tournaments and the ATP Tour Finals in their career, with him winning each at least twice. His 2021 French Open win saw him become the first man in Open Era history to achieve a double Career Grand Slam. Currently world number 3, Djokovic is the defending Wimbledon champion and bidding for his seventh title.

Age: 35 Birthplace: Belgrade, Serbia Residence: Monte Carlo, Monaco Height: 1.88m Weight: 77kg Plays: Right-handed Turned pro: 2003 Career single titles: 87 Grand slam titles: 20 Career prize money: $156 541 453 Wimbledon Championships played: 16 Best singles performance: Champion (2011, 2014, 2015, 2018, 2019, 2021)

RAFAEL NADAL

Seeding: 2

Current world number 4, Rafael Nadal has endured a bittersweet relationship with Wimbledon. His two titles (in 2008 and 2010) have been accompanied by three lost finals as well as injury-enforced absences in 2004, 2009, 2016 and 2021. Although there remains a question mark over his durability for the two weeks at Wimbledon (having played the entire French Open with his troublesome left foot anaesthetised), the Spaniard is seeded at number 2 for this year’s Championships thanks to his wins at the opening two Grand Slams of the year in Melbourne and Paris. These victories took his Grand Slam tally to 22 – the most in history - and put him halfway to the first men’s calendar Grand Slam in more than half a century. He holds the record for the most French Open titles (14), is only one of four men in history to complete a double Career Grand Slam in singles, and is the only man to win multiple majors in three separate decades.

Age: 36 Birthplace: Manacor, Mallorca, Spain Height: 1.85m Weight: 85kg Plays: Left-handed Turned pro: 2001 Career single titles: 92 Grand slam titles: 22 Career Prize Money: $130 681 472 Wimbledon Championships played: 14 Best singles performance: Champion (2008, 2010)

CASPER RUUD

Seeding: 3

Born in Oslo, Norway, 23-year-old Casper Ruud created history in September 2021 by becoming the first Norwegian tennis player to break into the men’s top 10 in the world. He is currently ranked world number 5 - a career-best that makes him the highest-ranked Norwegian tennis player in history. He has won eight ATP Tour singles titles, seven of which were on clay. He is the first Norwegian man to win an ATP singles title (he currently has eight), to reach a Grand Slam final (2022 French Open), and make it into an ATP Masters 1000 final (2022 Miami). His best performance at a Grand Slam was reaching the final of this year’s French Open, where he lost to his idol Rafael Nadal 6-3, 6-3, 6-0. The Norwegian reached the third round at Roland Garros for three years in a row (2019 to 2021) and the third round at the US Open in 2020, before making the round of 16 at the Australian Open in 2021.

Age: 23 Birthplace: Oslo, Norway Residence: Oslo, Norway Height: 1.83m Weight: 77kg Plays: Right-handed Turned pro: 2015 Career single titles: 8 Grand slams titles: 0 Career prize money: $7 608 685 Wimbledon Championships played: 2 Best singles performances: 1st round (2019, 2021)

STEFANOS TSITSIPAS

Seeding: 4

Born in Greece, Stefanos Tsitsipas is known for his aggressive baseline play with powerful ground strokes - his signature shot is a flourishing one-handed backhand. Raised in a tennis-playing family, he turned professional in 2013 and became the world number 1 junior in May, 2016. He has been ranked as high as world number 3 - making him the highest-ranked Greek player in history - and currently occupies the world number 6 spot. The 23-year-old is seeded 4 at Wimbledon, and on his day can upset the best in the game. While he might not be the most natural player on grass, he’s definitely one of the best players on the ATP tour right now. This year he won the Monte Carlos Masters and enjoyed a successful run at the Australian Open, reaching the semis. His other noteworthy achievements in 2022 include reaching the ATP Rotterdam and Italian Open finals, and making the semi-finals of both the Mexican Open and Madrid Open.

Age: 23 Birthplace: Athens, Greece Residence: Monte Carlo, Monaco Height: 1.93m Weight: 90 kg Plays: Right-handed Turned pro: 2016 Career single titles: 8 Grand slams titles: 0 Career prize money: $19 546 913 Wimbledon Championships played: 4 Best singles performances: 4th round (2018)

CARLOS ALCARAZ

Seeding: 5

At just 19 years old and ranked world number 7, Carlos Alcaraz is currently the youngest player in the ATP top 10. Described as an all-court, all-round tennis player, he primarily employs an aggressive baseline style of play, with his forehand being his most reliable and potent shot. It is proving to be a breakthrough year for the teenage sensation. At the 2022 Madrid Open, he defeated Djokovic and Nadal on two consecutive days to become the first man to defeat the two legends in a single clay-court tournament. In the final, he beat world number 2 Alexander Zverev - becoming the youngest man to win the tournament, and the youngest player in the history of the ATP Tour to beat three top five players in the same event. He has now won five singles titles in total, including two Masters 1000 titles. His best Grand Slam performances were at the 2021 US Open and 2022 French Open, where he reached the quarter-finals.

Age: 19 Birthplace: EI Palmar, Murcia, Spain Residence: Spain Height: 1.85m Weight: 72kg Plays: Right-handed Turned pro: 2018 Career single titles: 5 Grand slams titles: 0 Career prize money: $5 856 924 Wimbledon Championships played: 1 Best singles performances: 2nd round (2021)

FELIX AUGER-ALIASSIME

Seeding: 6

Currently at a career-high singles ranking of world number 9, Canadian Felix Auger- Aliassime is the second-youngest player in the ATP top 10. He has one singles title and one doubles title. He made his top 100 and top 25 debuts at 18, in a year highlighted by his first ATP final in February 2019 at the Rio Open. He reached three ATP finals in 2019, another three in 2020, and two finals in 2021 - a total of eight consecutive runners-up out of eight ATP finals. He underscored his grass court prowess last season when he upset Roger Federer in Halle. He then went on to reach the Wimbledon quarterfinals, before losing to Matteo Berrettini. Along the way, he took down Nick Kyrgios and Alexander Zverev. Later in the year, he reached the US Open semi-finals. At this year’s French Open, he was arguably the only player to give Nadal a run for his money when he took the Spaniard to five sets.

Age: 21 Birthplace: Canada Residence: Montreal, Canada Height: 1.93m Weight: 88 kg Plays: Right-handed Turned pro: 2017 Career single titles: 1 Grand slams titles: 0 Career prize money: $7 302 200 Wimbledon Championships played: 2 Best singles performances: Quarter final (2021)

HUBERT HURKACZ

Seeding: 7

Wimbledon seventh seed, Hubert Hurkacz exited the game’s junior ranks in 2015 and played his first professional match in a Davis Cup tie against Argentina in 2016. He broke into the top 100 for the first time in 2018, after reaching the second rounds of the 2018 French Open and 2018 US Open. In 2019, he won his first ATP title at the Winston-Salem Open. The Polish player started the 2021 season ranked 35th and won his first career singles ATP Masters Series title at the Miami Open in March. Seeded 26th, he upset five seeded players to win the title. He also won the titles in Metz and Delray Beach, bringing his career total to five. His best performance in a Grand Slam event was at last year’s Wimbledon, when he stunned eight-time champion Roger Federer in the quarterfinals, winning 6-3, 7-6, 6-0 to hand the Swiss a rare straight-sets defeat. He was defeated by Matteo Berrettini in the semifinals 6-3, 6-0, 6-7, 6-4.

Age: 25 Birthplace: Wroclaw, Poland Residence: Monte Carlo, Monaco Height: 1.96m Weight: 81kg Plays: Right Handed Turned pro: 2015 Career single titles: 5 Grand slam titles: 0 Career prize money: $7 306 253 Wimbledon Championships played: 3 Best singles performance: Semi-final (2021)