Wimbledon 2023: Everything you need to know about this year's tournament

If you're a tennis fan, it doesn't get much bigger or better than Wimbledon.

Some of the world's greatest tennis players will soon be gathering in Wimbledon in London to compete in the major tennis tournament.

British tennis stars like Andy Murray, Katie Boulter, Alfie Hewitt and Lucy Shuker will be in action on the courts, as well as international greats like Coco Gauff and Novak Djokovic.

Take a look below for everything you need to know about this year's tournament...

What is Wimbledon?

First up let's talk about the tournament itself, what is it and how did it start?

Wimbledon is one of four major tennis tournaments in the world, called Grand Slams.

The other three are: The Australian Open, the French Open and the US Open.

The official title for the competition is The Championships, but it is often just referred to as Wimbledon as that's where it takes place in south-west London.

The first Championships took place in 1877 at the All England Club in London, where it's still held today.

Wimbledon is the only major championship to be played on grass, with others using clay or acrylic courts.

It's seen by many as the most prestigious and famous tennis tournament in the world, with celebrities and even members of the Royal family attending to watch the players compete.

When is Wimbledon?

The tournament starts on Monday 3 July and lasts for two weeks, finishing on Sunday 16 July.

Who are the players to watch?

The competition brings in some of the biggest and best players from around the world to compete together, and this year is no exception.

Novak Djokovic has won the men's singles title seven times

Novak Djokovic will be aiming for his eighth men's singles title to equal Roger Federer's record.

He's already won the Australian Open and French Open this year.

Britain's Andy Murray will also be competing this year. He has won the title twice in the past but is making a comeback from a hip replacement and is not one of the favourites to win.

They'll have tough competition from the new kid on the block: Carlos Alcaraz, a 20-year-old player from Spain who is currently the world number one.

Last year's runner-up Nick Kyrgios won't be competing though. The Australian has a wrist injury.

American Coco Gauff will be aiming for her first Wimbledon title

Elena Rybakina will be hoping to return to defend her title as the women's singles champion, however she has been suffering from a viral illness and could be a doubt for the tournament.

There will be stiff competition in the form of US player Coco Gauff; last year's Wimbledon runner-up Ons Jabeur as well as current world number one Iga Swiatek.

Who is Carlos Alcaraz?

Carlos Alcaraz has been busy making waves in the tennis world, and many people think he could win Wimbledon this year.

The Spanish player is currently ranked number one in the world after winning the Queen's tournament in June 2023 - his fifth title of the year.

Alcaraz has a super-fast forehand which clocks in at about 100mph, and his serve is timed at a whopping 130mph.

His idol is Rafa Nadal, another Spaniard who has won 21 Grand Slam tennis titles and is considered one of the world's greatest players.

In May 2022, Alcaraz got the chance to play against Nadal in a competition, and beat his idol.

Will Emma Raducanu be playing at Wimbledon?

No, sadly Emma Raducanu won't be competing in Wimbledon this year.

Emma, who won the US Open in 2021, is currently recovering from hand and ankle surgery.

Which British players are competing at Wimbledon?

There are 14 British players taking part in the Wimbledon tournament this year.

Cameron Norrie is currently the highest-ranked British player and made it to the semi-finals at the tournament last year.

He will be joined by two-time champion Andy Murray and British number two Dan Evans.

Katie Boulter is the current British women's number one but she has had to rely on a wildcard to compete at Wimbledon. A wildcard is given when a player doesn't qualify but the organisers give them special permission to play.

Harriet Dart, Heather Watson, Jodie Burrage and Katie Swan have also received wildcards into the main draw.

In the wheelchair events, Alfie Hewett and Gordon Reid will be trying to win their 16th successive Grand Slam final.

Who is Alfie Hewett?

Alfie Hewett is a tennis juggernaut with 23 majors under his belt, he's won seven Grand Slam singles titles but never Wimbledon. So he will definitely have his head in the game this year.

He is the former world number one in singles, and is the current world number one in doubles alongside Gordon Reid.

Will players from Russia and Belarus be allowed to play this year?

Yes, players from Russia and Belarus will be able to play at Wimbledon this year.

They were banned from competing last year in the aftermath of the invasion of Ukraine.

In order to take part in the tennis tournament this year, the players have to sign an important document called a Personal Declaration of Neutrality.

This means they cannot say they support the invasion of Ukraine, or support the leadership of either Russian president Vladimir Putin or Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko.

What are seedings and how do they work?

There are five main events with prizes for the overall winners:

• Women's singles

• Men's singles

• Women's doubles

• Men's doubles

• Mixed doubles

Players can either take part in singles games where they play one-on-one, or doubles where there are two players against two.

Typically players can only play against people of the same gender, apart from in mixed doubles where a man and a woman can team up against another man and woman.

There are 128 places available in the draw for both men and women. Out of these 32 are ranked - or seeded as it's known - for the purposes of a draw.

These seeded players are seen as the best players in the draw and they're kept apart so that they don't meet until later in the competition.

In addition there are up to eight wildcards - players who are given a chance to play even though their world rankings are low - and several qualifiers.

Why do players wear white at Wimbledon?

You might have noticed that players in Wimbledon always wear all-white clothes, that's because it's an official rule that they have to follow in order to take part.

The history of why people wear white at the tournament dates back to the 1800s, when people would play tennis at social events.

Players wore white in order to avoid sweat patches on coloured clothing, which were considered "improper" and "unsightly" at the time.

So from that period onwards it became part of the official dress code for the tournament.

However this year there will be a change to the strict dress code rules.

Female competitors at Wimbledon will be allowed to wear dark-coloured undershorts to relieve a "potential source of anxiety" for players on their period.

British player Heather Watson welcomed the change to the dress code: "When they announced the new rule I was like, 'This is great, this is forward thinking, this is so helpful'...... In Eastbourne I wore black shorts, it really helped."

What is Henman Hill?

Henman Hill, Murray Mound or Aorangi Terrace as it's officially known, is a grassy hill near the entrace to the All England Club grounds.

Come rain or shine, hundreds of people sit on it during the tournament to watch some of the matches on a big television screen.

The terrace is named after Aorangi Park, the London New Zealand Rugby Club's grounds, and Aorangi refers to the Māori description of Aoraki, the highest mountain in New Zealand, also known as Mount Cook.

The grassy hill gained the nickname Henman Hill in the 1990's and 2000's after former British player Tim Henman.

When British supporters couldn't get tickets inside the courts to watch him play they would sit on the hill to watch his matches on the big screen and cheer him on.

What does 'love' and 'deuce' mean in tennis terms?

Seeds - The people expected to do well in a tournament.

Set - The main sections of a tennis match (see how to score, above).

Straight sets - When someone wins a match without losing a set, e.g. winning three sets to love.

Love - A tennis word for zero.

Forehand - When you hit with the palm of your hand facing to the front.

Backhand - A shot with the back of your hand facing front.

Deuce - This is another way of saying forty-all. It comes from the French word "deux", meaning two, when two people are on the same point.

Baseline - This is the line at the far end of the court.

Cyclops - The machine that goes beep to tell if the ball has hit the net on a serve (which means the serve has to be taken again).

Serve - When the player hits the ball over the net to start the game.

Let - Play the point again.

Tiebreak - When the set is drawn at six-all (see how to score, above).

Ace - When a player wins a point after serving an unstoppable shot.

Smash - A very fast shot hit by a player.

Volley - Hitting the ball before it bounces.

Double fault - Serving twice out of the court and losing the point.

Umpire - The person who decides, like a referee.

Spin - Hitting the ball so it spins and bounces so it's hard for the other player to hit (as in 'top spin', 'back spin').