The 136th edition of the Wimbledon Championships in London, England, is well underway and headed into a weekend of action which will see the top contenders begin to emerge in the Men’s and Women’s Singles & Doubles, as well as the Mixed Doubles tournaments.
The primary African star in tennis today is Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur. The 29-year-old was the runner-up in the Women’s Singles at Wimbledon in both 2022 and 2023, and she says she is hungry to go deep in the tournament once again – and hopefully win her first ‘Grand Slam’ title.
“If I make it a third year in a row to the final, that would be like a dream," she explained. "I know I have a big capacity of doing it, I’ve been working on myself a lot. I can see myself winning this tournament hopefully."
Jabeur added, “I always try to remember that this is the place where I belong, where I play amazing and where I feel amazing. So, I’m just going to enjoy every moment that I’m here at Wimbledon and hopefully it will be the right year.
"For me, the most important thing is to know how to manage my feelings, especially when I really need them and sometimes, I try to be less tough with myself, because that’s not great as well.”
Jabeur has defeated Japan’s Moyuka Uchijima in the first round and will be favoured to get past American Robin Montgomery in the second round on Thursday.
One of the players who could stand in the way of Jabeur’s dream is Coco Gauff, who will face Sonay Kartal in the third round on Friday. The 20-year-old American has never gone beyond the fourth round at Wimbledon, but is brimming with confidence, having set herself a career goal of winning at least 10 Grand Slam titles. She already has one under her belt, from the 2023 US Open.
“I definitely want to at least get to double digits in Slams. I just want to be the best me, try to win as many Slams as possible and see where life takes me,” she explained.
One of the most charismatic players on the Men’s Singles side is American Frances Tiafoe, who is the son of Sierra Leonean immigrants and has secured his place in the third round after wins over Matteo Arnaldi and Borna Corcic – setting up a tough clash against reigning champion Carlos Alcaraz on Friday.
The pair had a classic match in the semifinals of the US Open last year and Alcaraz is looking forward to again battling a rival he considers a friend: “It was a great match. I think we played really great points. I think that the crowd enjoyed that match. I'm pretty sure that the people are going to enjoy this match, as well.”
Alcaraz added, “Frances, a great player, a great person as well. He always smiles. He always seems like he's enjoying his time on the court, off the court as well. It's pretty impressive. Try to put a show every time he steps on the court, as well. It's going to be a really fun match to play, to watch. I'll try to put my good weapons on the match and try to beat him.”
Five must-know facts about Wimbledon:
- The Wimbledon Championships is the oldest tennis tournament in the world - it was first held in 1877.
- Wimbledon is the only tennis ‘Grand Slam’ (the four biggest tournaments of the year, Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and US Open) played on grass.
- Strawberries and cream are a traditional treat at Wimbledon, and every year fans consume about 7,000 litres of cream and 27 tons of strawberries during the tournament.
- Wimbledon’s relationship with Slazenger is the world's longest-running sporting sponsorship, as they have provided balls for the tournament since 1902.
- Since 1963, Wimbledon Championship Entry Conditions laid down that competitors must be dressed predominantly in white.
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Wimbledon weekend broadcast details
All times CAT
Friday 5 July
- 12:00: Second Feed, Day 5 – LIVE on SuperSport Action
- 12:00: Day 5, Singles Third Round – LIVE on SuperSport Tennis and SuperSport Grandstand
Saturday 6 July
- 12:00: Second Feed, Day 6 – LIVE on SuperSport Action
- 12:00: Day 6, Singles Third Round – LIVE on SuperSport Tennis (and SuperSport Grandstand from 13:45)
Sunday 7 July
- 12:00: Second Feed, Day 7 – LIVE on SuperSport Action
- 12:00: Day 7, Singles Fourth Round – LIVE on SuperSport Tennis (and SuperSport Grandstand from 12:10)