The grass-court season is underway, as is the third Grand Slam of the year at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in London.
Wimbledon is the oldest of the four Grand Slams, and the most prestigious.
Since the Australian Open shifted to hardcourt in 1988, Wimbledon remains the only major still played on grass.
The 2018 tournament is the 132nd edition of the championships, the 125th staging of the Ladies’ Singles Championship event, and the 51st in the Open Era.
Roger Federer - who skipped the clay court season, including the French Open - is the defending champion in the Gentlemen's singles and has won the event a whopping eight times in his career. However, he will have to wait at least another 12 months for a shot at title nine after Kevin Anderson ousted him in a quarter-final thriller.
Garbiñe Muguruza is the defending champion in the Ladies' singles, and was keen to avenge her French Open semi-final exit at the hands of Simona Halep. However, she was ousted by Alison Van Uytvanck in the second round.
Sporting News has you covered on all you need to know about Wimbledon in 2018.
2018 WIMBLEDON: SCHEDULE
The main draw commenced on Monday 2 July 2018 and is due to finish on Sunday 15 July 2018. Below is the round-by-round breakdown of the schedule for both men and women.
| Date | Round |
| Monday, July 2 | Round 1 |
| Tuesday, July 3 | Round 1 |
| Wednesday, July 4 | Round 2 |
| Thursday, July 5 | Round 2 |
| Friday, July 6 | Round 3 |
| Saturday, July 7 | Round 3 |
| Sunday, July 8 | No play |
| Monday, July 9 | Round 4 |
| Tuesday, July 10 | Quarter-finals |
| Wednesday, July 11 | Quarter-finals |
| Thursday, July 12 | Women's Semi-finals |
| Friday, July 13 | Men’s Semi-finals |
| Saturday, July 14 | Women's Final |
| Sunday, July 15 | Men’s Final |
2018 WIMBLEDON: DRAW AND SEEDINGS
Seeds are adjusted on a surface-based system to reflect the individual player's grass court achievement over the previous 12 months, in conjunction with current rankings.
Federer and Halep were guaranteed top seedings for the tournament.
MEN'S SINGLES
MEN'S SEEDINGS: 1. Roger Federer (SUI), 2. Rafael Nadal (ESP), 3. Marin Čilić (CRO), 4. Alexander Zverev (GER), 5. Juan Martín del Potro (ARG), 6. Grigor Dimitrov (BUL), 7. Dominic Thiem (AUT), 8. Kevin Anderson (RSA), 9. John Isner (USA), 10. David Goffin (BEL), 11. Sam Querrey (USA), 12. Novak Djokovic (SRB), 13. Milos Raonic (CAN), 14. Diego Schwartzman (ARG), 15. Nick Kyrgios (AUS), 16. Borna Ćorić (CRO), 17. Lucas Pouille (FRA), 18. Jack Sock (USA), 19. Fabio Fognini (ITA), 20. Pablo Carreño Busta (ESP), 21. Kyle Edmund (GBR), 22. Adrian Mannarino (FRA), 23. Richard Gasquet (FRA), 24. Kei Nishikori (JAP), 25. Philipp Kohlschreiber (GER), 26. Denis Shapovalov (CAN), 27. Damir Džumhur (BOS), 28. Filip Krajinović (SRB), 29. Marco Cecchinato (ITA), 30. Fernando Verdasco (ESP), 31. Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE), 32. Leonardo Mayer (ARG)
MEN'S QUARTER-FINALS
(9) John Isner def. (13) Milos Raonic 6-7 (5-7) 7-6 (9-7) 6-4 6-3
(8) Kevin Anderson def. (1) Roger Federer 2-6 6-7 (5-7) 7-5 6-4 13-11
(12) Novak Djokovic def. (24) Kei Nishikori 6-3 3-6 6-2 6-2
(2) Rafael Nadal def. (5) Juan Martin Del Potro 7-5 6-7 (7-9) 4-6 6-4 6-4
MEN'S SEMI-FINALS
(8) Kevin Anderson def. (9) John Isner 7-6 (8-6) 6-7 (5-7) 6-7 (9-11) 6-4 26-24
(12) Novak Djokovic leads (2) Rafael Nadal 6-4 3-6 7-6 (11-9) susp.
MEN'S FINAL
(2) Rafael Nadal or (12) Novak Djokovic vs. (8) Kevin Anderson
AUSTRALIANS IN THE DRAW
Nick Kyrgios: def. Istomin (1R), Haase (2R); def. by Nishikori (3R)
Matt Ebden: def. Goffin (1R), Robert (2R); def. by Simon (3R)
Alex De Minaur: def. Cecchinato (1R), Herbert (2R); def. by Nadal (3R)
John Millman: def. Travaglia (1R); def. by Raonic (2R)
Bernard Tomic: def. Hurkacz (1R); def. by Nishikori (2R)
James Duckworth: def. by Zverev (1R)
Jordan Thompson: def. by Querrey (1R)
Alex Bolt: def. by Edmund (1R)
Jason Kubler: def. by Pella (1R)
John-Patrick Smith: def. by Seppi (1R)
WOMEN'S SINGLES
WOMEN'S SEEDINGS: 1. Simona Halep (ROU), 2. Caroline Wozniacki (DEN), 3. Garbiñe Muguruza (ESP), 4. Sloane Stephens (USA), 5. Elina Svitolina (UKR), 6. Caroline Garcia (FRA), 7. Karolína Plíšková (CZE), 8. Petra Kvitová (CZE), 9. Venus Williams (USA), 10. Madison Keys (USA), 11. Angelique Kerber (GER), 12. Jeļena Ostapenko (LAT), 13. Julia Görges (GER), 14. Daria Kasatkina (RUS), 15. Elise Mertens (BEL), 16. CoCo Vandeweghe (USA), 17. Ashleigh Barty (AUS), 18. Naomi Osaka (JAP), 19. Magdaléna Rybáriková (SVK), 20. Kiki Bertens (NED), 21. Anastasija Sevastova (LAT), 22. Johanna Konta (GBR), 23. Barbora Strýcová (CZE), 24. Maria Sharapova (RUS), 25. Serena Williams (USA), 26. Daria Gavrilova (AUS), 27. Carla Suárez Navarro (ESP), 28. Anett Kontaveit (EST), 29. Mihaela Buzărnescu (ROU, 30. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (RUS), 31. Zhang Shuai (CHN), 32. Agnieszka Radwańska (POL)
WOMEN'S QUARTER-FINALS
(12) Jeļena Ostapenko def. Dominika Cibulkova 7-5 6-4
(11) Angelique Kerber def. (14) Daria Kasatkina 6-3 7-5
(13) Julia Görges def. (20) Kiki Bertens 3-6 7-5 6-1
(25) Serena Williams def. Camila Giorgi 3-6 6-3 6-4
WOMEN'S SEMI-FINALS
(11) Angelique Kerber def. (12) Jelena Ostapenko 6-3 6-3
(25) Serena Williams def. (13) Julia Görges 6-2 6-4
WOMEN'S FINAL
(11) Angelique Kerber vs. (25) Serena Williams
The ladies' singles final is set, and we've got ourselves a rematch...#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/bwfQZ3l87A
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 12, 2018
- The last time these players met was the 2016 Wimbledon final which Williams won 7-5, 6-3
- The last three clashes between these players have all been in finals, Williams winning at Wimbledon in 2016, Kerber winning the Australian Open in the same year and Williams winning in Stanford in 2014.
- Only one of the eight matches between these two has gone to a deciding set, Kerber's win at the 2016 Australian Open.
- Williams will equal the record for most women's Grand Slam singles titles if she wins, currently held by Margaret Court (24 inc. pre-Open Era)
- Only Martina Navratilova (9) has more women's singles titles at Wimbledon in the Open Era than Williams (7).
- Kerber already has the Australian Open and US Open titles in her trophy cabinet, she'd be the 15th woman to win 3 or more of the 4 Slams.
AUSTRALIANS IN THE DRAW
Ash Barty: def. Voegele (1R), Bouchard (2R); def. by Kasatkina (3R)
Daria Gavrilova: def. Diyas (1R), Stosur (2R); def. by Sasnovich (3R)
Samantha Stosur: def. Shuai (1R); def. by Gavrilova (2R)
Ajla Tomljanovic: def. by Keys (1R)
WHAT IS THE PRIZE MONEY FOR WIMBLEDON IN 2018?
The total prize money for Wimbledon in 2018 is £34,000,000 (AU$59,858,000).
The winners of the men's and women's singles titles will earn £2,250,000 (AU$3,960,000). The runner-up receives £1,125,000 (AU$1,980,000).
HOW TO WATCH WIMBLEDON IN 2018
Wimbledon will be shown live on Fox Sports. In addition, Foxtel Now subscribers will be able to stream all the action. The Seven Network will be the home of Wimbledon for free-to-air viewers.
WHICH AUSTRALIANS HAVE WON WIMBLEDON?
Since the Open Era began in 1968, there have been four Australian men to claim the crown: Rod Laver, (1968, 1969), John Newcombe (1970, 1971), Pat Cash (1987) and Lleyton Hewitt (2002).
Laver (1961, 1962), Newcombe (1967), Gerald Patterson (1919, 1922), Norman Brookes (1907, 1914), Jack Crawford (1933), Lew Hoad (1956, 1957), Ashley Cooper (1958), Neale Fraser (1960) and Roy Emerson (1964, 1965) all won the title before the Open Era.
Margaret Court won two crowns (1963, 1965) prior to the Open Era before her 1970 win, before Evonne Goolagong Cawley won in 1971 and 1980.
RANDOM WIMBLEDON FACTS
FOOD: In 2017, fans consumed 34 tonnes of strawberries and 10,000 litres of cream.
DRESS: As per the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, all players must be dressed entirely in white. Umpires can ask a player to change if they don’t meet the dress code. For example, in 2013, Roger Federer was told to switch his shoes because they had orange soles.
PLAY: The longest tennis match ever played took place at the 2010 tournament. John Isner defeated Nicolas Mahut in a match that lasted 11 hours and five minutes and was played over the course of three days. The final set went for 138 games, with Isner prevailing 70-68.
COMMERCIAL: Sponsored advertising is not allowed at Wimbledon.
BALL KIDS: Ball boys and girls are drawn from schools in local London boroughs, with candidates nominated by their headteachers. All candidates must pass a written test and a fitness test.
TELEVISION: The first televised airing of The Championships was by the BBC on June 21 all the way back in 1937. Matches taking place on Centre Court were transmitted by the BBC for half an hour each day.
