The Japan Times - Alcaraz, Sabalenka in spotlight as Wimbledon gets underway

As the headline act in the 138th Championships, it is fitting that Alcaraz will open play on Centre Court when the world number two faces 38-year-old Italian Fabio Fognini.

It would be a seismic shock if Alcaraz, who has never lost in a Grand Slam first round in 17 appearances, became just the third men's champion to suffer an opening match defeat at Wimbledon after Manuel Santana in 1967 and Lleyton Hewitt in 2003.

Having vanquished Novak Djokovic in the past two Wimbledon finals, Alcaraz arrives in south-west London looking to join an elite group of Wimbledon icons.

The 22-year-old Spaniard's clay-court credentials are firmly established but he is equally dynamic on grass.

Alcaraz has won 29 of his 32 Tour-level matches on the surface, with his last defeat at Wimbledon coming against Jannik Sinner in the last 16 in 2022.

Alcaraz is bidding to become the fifth man in the Open Era to win at least three consecutive Wimbledon titles after seven-time champion Djokovic, Bjorn Borg, Roger Federer and Pete Sampras.

If he achieves that target, Alcaraz would be the second-youngest player in the Open Era to win six Grand Slam men's titles after Borg, who reached that landmark in 1978.

"I'm coming here thinking I really want to win the title, I really want to lift the trophy. I'm not thinking about how many players have done it, winning three Wimbledons in a row," said Alcaraz, who fought back from two sets down in his epic French Open final victory against world number one Sinner in June.

"I'm just thinking that I want to prepare myself in the best way possible. Obviously I feel a lot of confidence right now."

- 'I completely lost it' -

The latest edition of Wimbledon starts in the midst of a brief heatwave in London.

Temperatures at Wimbledon are expected to climb to a scorching 33C on Monday, making the weather a challenge for players and spectators alike.

Sabalenka will be determined to keep her cool when the top seed starts her campaign against Canadian qualifier Carson Branstine on Court One.

The 27-year-old Belarusian is a three-time Grand Slam champion, but has suffered agonising three-set defeats in this year's Australian Open and French Open finals.

Sabalenka was beaten by Madison Keys in Melbourne and Coco Gauff in Paris, with the latter defeat triggering a frustrated outburst from the loser.

She was heavily criticised for claiming the Roland Garros loss was due to her own mistakes rather than Gauff's performance.

Sabalenka later apologised for describing the match as the worst final she had played.

"I didn't really want to offend her (Gauff). I was just completely upset with myself, and emotions overcame me. I just completely lost it," Sabalenka said.

"It was a tough time for me. The lesson is learned. I was able to sit back and be open to myself, not just to ignore some things.

"I really hope it will never happen again."

Sabalenka, who has reached the final in five of the past six Grand Slams she has contested, has yet to make the Wimbledon showpiece, losing in the last four in 2021 and 2023.

There are 23 British players in the men's and women's singles -- the most since 1984 -- and four have been given prestigious slots on Wimbledon's top two courts on Monday.

Katie Boulter meets Spanish ninth seed Paula Badosa on Centre Court, while Jacob Fernley faces Brazilian teenager Joao Fonseca on Court One.

Former US Open champion Emma Raducanu takes on 17-year-old fellow Briton Mingge Xu on Court One.

Elsewhere on Monday, German third seed Alexander Zverev faces Arthur Rinderknech, while Italian fourth seed Jasmine Paolini, beaten by Krejcikova in last year's final, opens against Anastasija Sevastova.

Women's champion Barbora Krejcikova, recovered from a thigh injury, will start her title defence against Alexandra Eala of the Philippines on Tuesday.

K.Okada--JT