Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner are favorites as Novak Djokovic may miss Wimbledon

The sands of time have changed dramatically in the world of men’s tennis since Carlos Alcaraz claimed his second Grand Slam title at Wimbledon last year.

It took the Spaniard five electric sets to snatch Novak Djokovic’s hands away from the trophy he had lifted four times in a row and seven times in total.

The Serbian responded by dominating the sport for the remainder of the season, entering 2024 with a record 25th Slam singles title, which seemed inevitable.

Instead, Djokovic struggled with his form, failed to claim a title at any level and could now miss Wimbledon after undergoing knee surgery following a slip at the French Open.

Australian Open champion Jannik Sinner stands proudly at the top of the rankings, ahead of Alcaraz, with a combined age that exceeds Djokovic by just six years.

Rafael Nadal already appears confident he has played his last match at SW19 after deciding to skip his last Wimbledon before retirement and prepare for one last title at the Olympics.

Should Djokovic miss it, it would be the first Wimbledon since 2002 where none of the big three, the Serbian, Nadal or Roger Federer, are present.

Alcaraz emphasized that this will not cause any extra pressure and said: “It will be the same tournament for me. As a tennis fan or for all the people who are going to watch the tournament, obviously it won’t be the same if you can’t watch those players.”

Andy Murray, meanwhile, is desperately hoping he gets the chance to say goodbye to the tournament that has defined his career, with emotional scenes guaranteed.

The 37-year-old battles his body to the finish, with a back problem that required minor surgery on Saturday.

Although Alcaraz and Sinner will be the two big favourites, both remain inexperienced on grass, and the likes of Daniil Medvedev, Alexander Zverev, Grigor Dimitrov and Alex De Minaur will be hoping to provide a challenge.

New British number one Jack Draper leads the home hopes after winning his first ATP Tour title on grass in Stuttgart and beating Alcaraz at Queen’s.

After once again dominating on clay, Iga Swiatek will be hoping to continue her progress on grass at the top of the women’s tournament.

The Pole, a former junior champion at SW19, reached the quarter-finals for the first time last year but has once again opted not to play any warm-up events.

The favorite for the title is world number two Aryna Sabalenka, whose big-stroke game is well suited to grass.

The two-time Australian Open champion, who has been nursing a sore shoulder, reached the semi-finals of her last two outings but fell just short both times.

Ons Jabeur was left distraught after losing to surprise finalist Marketa Vondrousova 12 months ago, her second final defeat in a row, and the Tunisian is sure to be a crowd favorite once again.

Vondrousova, meanwhile, has her work cut out for her to make it to SW19 after an unfortunate slip in Berlin last week.

Other leading contenders include former champion Elena Rybakina and US Open winner Coco Gauff, while 17-year-old Mirra Andreeva will look to make headlines again after reaching the semi-finals at Roland Garros.

Three former grand slam champions received a wild card along with Emma Raducanu: Naomi Osaka, Caroline Wozniacki and Angelique Kerber.

Wozniacki will appear at Wimbledon for the first time since 2019, after having two children and retiring last year.

The Dane made her senior debut at the All England Club in 2007 and told the PA news agency: “It’s clear there are great players now and they are young and motivated and they can still achieve a lot.

“It was special for me to be able to play multiple generations. I was the youngest player for a long time, so it feels a bit strange that I am now one of the oldest players, but I still feel young at heart.”