Ukrainian wild card Elina Svitolina, having dismissed four Grand Slam champions during her fairy-tale run to the Wimbledon semi-finals following her maternity break, believes the stars are aligning in her quest for a maiden major title.
The 28-year-old can reach a first slam final by beating Marketa Vondrousova on Thursday and the former world No.3 said a fresh approach to her career after the war in Ukraine and becoming a mother in October had helped.
“War made me stronger and also mentally stronger. I don’t take difficult situations as like a disaster. There are worse things in life. I’m more calm,” she added.
“I think also, because I just started to play again, I have different pressures. I want to win. I have this huge motivation to come back to the top. But I think having a child, and war, made me a different person.”
Thursday’s order of play
Singles, doubles and mixed doubles only
Centre Court, 1.30pm
Women’s singles semi-finals
Elina Svitolina (Ukr) v Marketa Vondrousova (Cze)
(6) Ons Jabeur (Tun) v (2) Aryna Sabalenka (Blr)
Mixed doubles final
(7) Mate Pavic (Cro) & Lyudmyla Kichenok (Ukr) v Joran Vliegen (Bel) & Yi Fan Xu (Chn)
Court 1, 1pm
Men’s doubles semi-finals
(10) Kevin Krawietz (Ger) & Tim Puetz (Ger) v (15) Marcel Granollers (Spa) & Federico Zeballos (Bol)
(1) Wesley Koolhof (Ned) & Neal Skupski (Gbr) v (6) Rohan Bopanna (Ind) & Matthew Ebden (Aus)
Men’s semi-finals
Friday, 14 July
(1) Carlos Alcaraz (Esp) v (3) Daniil Medvedev (Rus)
(8) Jannik Sinner (Ita) v (2) Novak Djokovic (Ser)
Wimbledon women’s final
Saturday 2pm, Centre Court
Elina Svitolina/Marketa Vondrousova v Ons Jabeur/Aryna Sabalenka
Wimbledon men’s final
Sunday 2pm, Centre Court
Carlos Alcaraz/Daniil Medvedev v Jannik Sinner/Novak Djokovic
How to watch Wimbledon 2023 on TV in the UK
Live coverage
Wimbledon is shown on BBC One and iPlayer until 9pm for the first week, unless coverage needs to be extended until the 11pm curfew. Clare Balding has taken over lead presenting duties from Sue Barker.
Each morning, Isa Guha will begin the coverage at 11am. Former Wimbledon champions, including John McEnroe, Martina Navratilova, Billie Jean King and Pat Cash will be part of the team alongside the likes of Tim Henman, Tracy Austin, Annabel Croft, Johanna Konta, Anne Keothavong and Sania Mirza.
Highlights
Today at Wimbledon follows the live coverage at 9pm daily on BBC Two and iPlayer, presented by Qasa Alom.
How to watch Wimbledon on TV in the US
ESPN has the rights to show the grass-court grand slam in the US. Coverage begins each day at 6am Eastern Time.
What is the Wimbledon prize money?
The Wimbledon total prize pool is £44.7 million, up 11.2 per cent on 2022.
The men’s and women’s singles champions will each take home £2.35 million and the runners-up will earn £1.175 million.
Prize money for progression to earlier rounds is as follows: first round (£55,000); second round (£85,000); third round (£131,000); round of 16 (£207,000); quarter-finals (£340,000); semi-finals (£600,000).
Why is Emma Raducanu not playing at Wimbledon?
Emma Raducanu will not compete at Wimbledon after undergoing surgery on both hands and her left ankle.
Who are the defending champions?
Last year, Novak Djokovic recovered from a set down in the final to beat Nick Kyrgios 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6.
Elena Rybakina won a maiden major singles title when she fought back to beat Ons Jabeur 3-6, 6-2, 6-2.
Latest odds?
Men’s singles
- Novak Djokovic 8/15
- Carlos Alcaraz 13/5
- Daniil Medvedev 11/1
- Jannik Sinner 12/1
Women’s singles
- Aryna Sabalenka 6/4
- Ons Jabeur 5/2
- Marketa Vondrousova 5/1
- Elina Svitolina 5/1
Take advantage of these Wimbledon betting offers and free bets throughout the whole two weeks at SW19