Wimbledon 2021: Dates, times, rankings, draws, TV channel

The world’s greatest tennis players have one last stop before competing in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics: Wimbledon.

The All England Club is opening its gates and grass courts again after the 2020 Wimbledon championships were postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and there is plenty of intrigue on both the men’s and women’s sides.

Novak Djokovic is on the cusp of history. Just two weeks after taking home the French Open title, the top-ranked player is one Grand Slam title away from tying two of his greatest competitors, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, for the all-time men’s lead with 20. On the women’s side, seven-time champion Serena Williams is aiming to bounce back from consecutive Wimbledon ladies’ singles final losses in 2018 and 2019, as well as a fourth-round French Open exit.

Here is everything you need to know for the 2021 Wimbledon championships:

When is Wimbledon 2021?

The 2021 Wimbledon championships will run from Monday, June 28, to Sunday, July 11.

The round of 16 will start on July 5, quarterfinals action will be on July 6 and 7 and semifinals action will take place on July 8 and 9. The ladies’ singles championship, gentlemen’s doubles championship and ladies’ doubles championship are set for Saturday, July 10. The tournament concludes with the gentlemen’s singles championship and mixed doubles championship on Sunday, July 11. Both singles championships will begin at 9 a.m. ET.

How can I watch Wimbledon 2021?

This year’s Wimbledon action will be broadcasted on ESPN and ESPN2. ESPN+, ESPN3 and ESPN Deportes will hold coverage as well, while ABC will show encore presentations of the ladies’ and gentlemen’s singles finals on July 10 and 11, respectively.

Can fans attend Wimbledon?

Wimbledon will begin with a minimum of 50% capacity with the goal of hosting full capacity for the ladies’ and gentlemen’s finals. 

Fans will be required to show COVID-19 status certification upon entry. There is also a mask mandate for spectators while moving around the grounds but not while in their seats.

What is the 2021 Wimbledon tournament draw?

The 2021 Wimbledon draw took place on June 25, just three days before the tournaments commenced. Djokovic and Ashleigh Barty of Australia are the No. 1 seeds in the gentlemen’s and ladies’ singles tournaments, respectively, entering Wimbledon.

There are also several notable omissions. In the gentlemen’s tournament, Nadal decided to sit out both Wimbledon and the Olympics for recovery purposes. In the ladies’ tournament, defending champion Simona Halep, who was the No. 2 seed in this year’s draw, withdrew on Friday due to injury. Another notable absence is Naomi Osaka, who plans to take "some personal time with family and friends" and focus on her mental health. She plans to play in the Olympics in her native Japan.

Who are the top seeded men's players at Wimbledon 2021?

Djokovic and Federer could be on a gentlemen’s singles final collision course. The No. 1 and No. 6 seeds, respectively, are on opposite sides of the bracket, meaning they will not have a chance to battle until the final match.

Djokovic is a resounding favorite to win the tournament at -110, according to our partner, PointsBet. French Open runner-up Stefanos Tsitsipas and No. 2 seed Daniil Medvedev have the second-best odds at +600, while Federer is next at +800.

Here are how the seeds stack up in the gentlemen’s singles bracket:

1. Novak Djokovic
2. Daniil Medvedev
3. Stefanos Tsitsipas
4. Alexander Zverev
5. Andrey Rublev
6. Roger Federer
7. Matteo Berrettini
8. Roberto Bautista Agut
9. Diego Schwartzman
10. Denis Shapovalov
11. Pablo Carreno Busta
12. Casper Ruud
13. Gael Monfils
14. Hubert Hurkacz
15. Alex de Minaur
16. Felix Auger-Aliassime
17. Cristian Garin
18. Grigor Dimitrov
19. Jannik Sinner
20. Aslan Karatsev
21. Ugo Humbert
22. Daniel Evans
23. Lorenzo Sonego
24. Nikoloz Basilashvili
25. Karen Khachanov
26. Fabio Fognini
27. Reilly Opelka
28. John Isner
29. Cameron Norrie
30. Alejandro Davidovich Fokina
31. Taylor Fritz
32. Marin Cilic

Who are the top seeded women's players at Wimbledon 2021?

Serena Williams is the No. 6 seed and is on the same side of the bracket as Barty, meaning the two could potentially meet up in the semifinals. Barty is a +600 favorite to win the ladies’ singles, while Williams is narrowly behind at +650, according to PointsBet.

Here are how the seeds stack up in the ladies’ singles bracket:

1. Ashleigh Barty
2. Aryna Sabalenka
3. Elina Svitolina
4. Sofia Kenin
5. Bianca Andreescu
6. Serena Williams
7. Iga Swiatek
8. Karolina Pliskova
9. Belinda Bencic
10. Petra Kvitova
11. Garbine Muguruza
12. Victoria Azarenka
13. Elise Mertens
14. Barbara Krejcikova
15. Maria Sakkari
16. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova
17. Kiki Bertens
18. Elena Rybakina
19. Karolina Muchova
20. Coco Gauff
21. Ons Jabeur
22. Jessica Pegula
23. Madison Keys
24. Anett Kontaveit
25. Angelique Kerber
26. Petra Martic
27. Johanna Konta
28. Alison Riske
29. Veronika Kudermetova
30. Paula Badosa
31. Daria Kasatkina
32. Ekaterina Alexandrova

Editor's note: All odds are provided by our partner, PointsBet. PointsBet is our Official Sports Betting Partner and we may receive compensation if you place a bet on PointsBet for the first time after clicking our links.