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It is a momentous occasion for tennis as the world’s oldest and most prestigious tennis tournament, the Wimbledon Champions, returns for its 135th edition from 27 June to 10 July 2022.
Showmax Pro subscribers across Africa, excluding those in South Africa, Mauritius, and Lesotho, will be able to live stream all the action from the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in London, courtesy of SuperSport.
Six-time champion Novak Djokovic looks to defend his title following his return to competitive tennis at Roland Garros in May, where he was knocked out of the tournament by a defeat against Rafael Nadal, who won the men’s singles title for a record 14th time and secured his second Grand Slam of the calendar year, having also won the Australian Open at the start of 2022.
These wins put Nadal at 22 Grand Slam titles in total – two ahead of both of his long-standing rivals, Djokovic and Roger Federer, who is currently injured. Djokovic leads their head-to-head by 30 wins to Nadal’s 28 – the Serbian has won the most finals, with 15 to Nadal’s 13, but Nadal will be boosted going into this year’s Wimbledon with the most Grand Slam wins in history.
This year is set to wow spectators as the 19-year-old newcomer Carlos Alcaraz, who is also the youngest player to defeat both Nadal and Djokovic, is one of the top contenders alongside 2021 Wimbledon runner-up, Matteo Berrettini, and Roland Garros runner-up, Casper Ruud. Stan Wawrinka returns following a 2021 surgery and will compete at Wimbledon for the first time since 2019 after receiving a wildcard.
In the women’s field, reigning champion Ashleigh Barty announced her retirement from professional tennis in March 2022. The ladies’ field is currently led by world number one, Iga Swiatek, who looks to extend her record-equalling 35-match winning run and secure a third Grand Slam title following her recent win and second French Open title at Roland Garros against Coco Gauff.
Top female contenders include four-time Grand Slam winner and local favorite, Emma Raducanu. This year will also see Serena Williams returning to Grand Slam tennis after being granted a main draw wild-card slot in this year’s field. Williams has won the most Grand Slam titles, including Wimbledon seven times, most recently winning on back-to-back occasions in 2015 and 2016. Naomi Osaka will miss out on this year’s action due to a last-minute injury.
Showmax Pro subscribers across Africa, excluding South Africa, Mauritius, and Lesotho, have a front-row seat to catch all the action from one of the four Grand Slams at Wimbledon 2022, streaming live courtesy of SuperSport.
