Wimbledon 2023: Indian players, live TV, streaming, prize money, start times in IST

Novak Djokovic begins his bid for a fifth consecutive title at Wimbledon and eighth overall at Centre Court on Monday (July 3).

Djokovic also will be trying to add to his men’s-record 23 Grand Slam singles titles he broke a tie with Rafael Nadal by winning the French Open last month and become the first player to collect 24 in the Open era. Oh, and then there’s this: The 36-year-old from Serbia is halfway to the first calendar-year Grand Slam in men’s tennis since Rod Laver won all four majors in 1969.

Djokovic faces Pedro Cachin, a 67th-ranked Argentine making his Wimbledon debut.

Also read: Wimbledon 2022 reminds India’s hunt for a singles champion remains a pipedream

The reigning women’s champion is Elena Rybakina, who won her first Slam trophy at the All England Club. She’ll open play on Tuesday against American Shelby Rogers.

Top-ranked Iga Swiatek, who won her fourth major championship at the French Open, debuts on Monday against Zhu Lin.

Ban lifted on Russia, Belarus players

Players from Russia and Belarus are back at Wimbledon. They were banned by the All England Club a year ago because of the attack on Ukraine launched by Russia, with the help of Belarus, in February 2022, but the tournament reversed course now even though the war continues.

Also read: GOAT at 36, Novak Djokovic yet to command Federer-Nadal-like adulation

So No. 7 men’s seed Andrey Rublev, a Russian, and two-time Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka, a Belarusian, are among those on Monday’s schedule.

Also slated to play on Day 1

Five-time Wimbledon champion Venus Williams, who is 43 and appearing at the tournament for the 24th time. She meets 2019 semifinalist Elina Svitolina, who recently returned after taking time off from the tour to have a baby, at Centre Court.

When are Monday’s matches?

Play begins on most courts at 11 a.m. local time, which is 3:30 PM IST; that’s when Rublev will play Max Purcell on No. 3 Court, and Azarenka will take on Yuan Yue at Court 15, while No. 4 seed Jessica Pegula goes up against Lauren Davis at No. 2 Court in an all-American matchup. Action at No. 1 Court begins at 1 p.m. local time, which is 5:30 PM IST, and the first match there is Swiatek-Zhu. Centre Court is the last arena to get going, at 1:30 p.m. local time, 6 PM IST. That is when Djokovic-Cachin is set to start. Williams-Svitolina follows, meaning it could begin around 4 p.m. local time, 8:30 PM IST.

Also read: Djokovic makes history; extends lead over Federer, Nadal in Grand Slam Titles

Indians at Wimbledon 2023

Rohan Bopanna will be the only Indian in the main draw of the Wimbledon 2023. He will play in the men’s doubles, partnering Australian Matthew Ebden.

Sania Mirza will not be a part of the main event but will feature in the Ladies Legends Invitation Doubles Category.

“I keep telling Sania that I miss her on tour. Tennis is already such a lonely sport, it would be nice to have others from your own country to share this space,” Bopanna told Indian Express.

Also read: Djokovic wins 10th Australian Open; equals Nadal’s 22 Grand Slam titles

Live TV, streaming of Wimbledon 2023 in India

Star Sports Network will telecast Wimbledon 2023 matches live and the live streaming will be available on Disney+Hotstar.

2022 runner-up Nick Krygios is out

Nick Kyrgios pulled out of Wimbledon the night before the tournaments start, citing a wrist injury, a year after he reached his first Grand Slam final at the All England Club. His withdrawal was announced by Wimbledon on Sunday night and Kyrgios wrote about it on social media.

What you need to know about Wimbledon, the year’s third Grand Slam tennis tournament

• Novak Djokovic is pursuing more history, and his self-belief is a big part of his success
• Iga Swiatek succeeds everywhere else. Can she win Wimbledon?
• Aryna Sabalenka no longer wants to talk about the war in Ukraine
• Women’s tennis is working toward equal pay at more tournaments
• France’s Tiafoe is the first African-American man in the Top 10 in nearly 15 years

Wimbledon 2023 prize money details

The All England Club has said that the total prize money fund for The Championships 2023 will be a record £44,700,000 (Rs 464 crore).

“The prize money on offer for the Wimbledon events in 2023 (not including per diems) is an 11.2% increase on 2022 and a 17.1% increase on the pre-pandemic Championships in 2019,” Wimbledon said in a statement.

The Ladies’ and Gentlemen’s Singles champions and runners-up will receive £2,350,000 (Rs 24 crore) and £1,175,000 (Rs 12 crore) respectively, with prize money for these two rounds rising to the levels they were in 2019.

The prize money distribution continues to place importance on supporting players in the early rounds of the event. The Qualifying Competition prize money fund has received a 14.5% increase on last year, while Main Draw Singles players losing in the first round will receive £55,000, a 10% increase on 2022.

The prize pool for the Gentlemen’s and Ladies’ Doubles is a 10.7% increase on last year, while the Wheelchair and Quad Wheelchair Singles and Doubles events all rose by just shy of 20%.

(With agency inputs)