Wimbledon 2023: Women's singles draw, schedule, players, prize money breakdown and more
Wimbledon 2023 is a few days shy of commencement and the women's singles tournament will be quite interesting to watch.
Elena Rybakina won the grasscourt Major in 2022 by beating Ons Jabeur in the final and will be among the favorites to win the tournament this time too, given her quality on grass and recent performances.
However, the likes of Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka are all capable of challenging her for the title, along with a few others.
On that note, let's take a look at everything you need to know about the grasscourt Major.
What is Wimbledon?
Wimbledon is a Grand Slam that takes place on grass court during June or July. The inaugural edition of the women's singles event was held in 1884, with Maud Watson beating her sister Lillian Watson in the final.
Martina Navratilova has won the grasscourt Major a whopping nine times, which is more than any other woman. The likes of Serena Williams and Steffi Graf have triumphed at the tournament seven times each.
Other past women's singles champions at Wimbledon include Chris Evert, Maria Sharapova, Venus Williams, Billie Jean King, and Margaret Court.
Venue
Like every other year, the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club will host Wimbledon 2023. The Centre Court can hold 15,000 spectators while Court 1 can hold 11,500.
Players
Iga Swiatek is the top seed at Wimbledon for the second successive year and will be among the title contenders considering her recent form. The Pole hasn't been impressive on grass so far but someone of her quality can always be expected to find her rhythm on the surface soon.
Second seed Aryna Sabalenka reached the semifinals in her previous appearance at Wimbledon in 2021, and is also someone who can challenge for the title. The Belarusian recently lost in the second round of the bett1open in Berlin and will be eager to bounce back at SW19.
Third seed Elena Rybakina is the defending champion and arguably the heaviest favorite to win Wimbledon at the moment. The Kazakh has produced some brilliant tennis over the past few months and is a pretty good player on grass, so we can expect her to launch another title charge, especially if she is at full fitness.
Last year's runner-up Ons Jabeur has not been consistent so far in 2023. However, she can do well on grass and is capable of having a good run at Wimbledon.
The likes of Jessica Pegula, Petra Kvitova, Coco Gauff, and Caroline Garcia are also players to watch out for.
Schedule
The main draw of Wimbledon 2023 will start on July 3, with the first round going on till July 4. The quarterfinals are scheduled to take place on July 12 while the semifinals will be held on July 13. The women's singles final is set to take place on July 15.
Prize Money
The total prize pool for Wimbledon 2023 is £44,700,000 and the women's singles champion will take home £2,350,000 and 2000 ranking points.
Here is the full prize money and ranking points breakdown for the grasscourt Major:
Where to Watch Wimbledon 2023
Viewers in the US, UK, Australia, and Canada can watch Wimbledon 2023 live on the following channels and sites:
USA: All matches will be broadcast on ESPN, Tennis Channel.
UK: Fans in the UK can watch the proceedings live on BBC, Eurosport, Discovery+.
Australia: All matches will be telecast on Nine Network.
Canada: Viewers in Canada can watch all the matches on RDS & TSN.