Calm before the storm

LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Carlos Alcaraz starts his bid for a third successive Wimbledon men's title, while volatile women's world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka will be in the spotlight as the grass-court Grand Slam gets underway on Monday.

As the headline act in the 138th Championships, Alcaraz should open play on Centre Court when the world No. 1 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 southwest 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 No.1 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."

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.