It’s been a customary feature of Wimbledon since the Victorian era, but Nick Kyrgios would be happy to see the All England Club ditch its iconic dress code.
When competing at Wimbledon, all players must be dressed in “suitable tennis attire that is almost entirely white”. This applies from the moment an athlete enters the court’s surroundings.
Associated with class and affluence, the rule was originally implemented to hide sweat stains which were considered improper in the 1800s.
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But Kyrgios would be happy to swap his tennis whites for something more his own style.
Addressing the media during a pre-tournament press conference while dressed in a black hoodie and cap, Kyrgios said he would like to see the tradition-loving Grand Slam modify its clothing requirements.
“I always want to wear all-back, obviously, but I don’t think it’s something that’s going to change,” he said.
“I think it would be cool to allow a black headband or a black sweatband, I think it would look cool but obviously Wimbledon doesn’t really care what looks cool.
“So yeah, I don’t think it will ever change”.
Watch Wimbledon live and free on 9Now and every point from every match ad-free, live and on demand on Stan Sport.
Here’s everything you need to know about the 2022 version of tennis’ oldest and most prestigious tournament.
When does Wimbledon start?
Action at the All England Club kicks off on Monday June 27, with Nine’s coverage of the opening round starting at 9.40pm AEST.
Play starts on the outside courts at 8pm AEST and on the No.1 court at 10pm. Centre court play starts at 10.30pm apart from finals weekend when play starts at 11pm.
The tournament is scheduled for 14 days, concluding on Sunday July 10.
How can I watch Wimbledon in Australia?
You can tune into Channel 9 and 90, 9Gem (channel 92) and 9Go (channel 93) to see the main matches being broadcast on free-to-air television.
Alternatively, you can stream every match live on 9Now and Stan Sport.
Who is seeded where?
Men’s draw:
1. Novak Djokovic (SER)
2. Rafael Nadal (SPA)
3. Casper Ruud (NOR)
4. Stefanos Tsitsipas
5. Carlos Alcaraz (SPA)
6. Felix Auger-Aliassime (CAN)
7. Hubert Hurkacz (POL)
8. Matteo Berrettini (ITA)
9. Cameron Norrie (ENG)
10. Jannik Sinner (ITA)
19. Alex de Minaur (AUS)
Ladies draw:
1. Iga Swiatek (POL)
2. Anett Kontaveit (EST)
3. Ons Jabeur (TUN)
4. Paula Badosa (SPA)
5. Maria Sakkari (GRE)
6. Karolina Pliskova (CZE)
7. Danielle Collins (USA)
8. Jessica Pegula (USA)
9. Garbine Muguruza (SPA)
10. Emma Raducanu (ENG)
Men’s doubles draw:
11. Thanasi Kokkinakis and Nick Kyrgios (AUS)
Who do the Aussies play in the opening round?
While we’re still coming to terms with Ash Barty’s sudden retirement, there are plenty of Aussies taking to the grass including six qualifiers – the most to achieve the feat in 27 years.
Jason Kubler vs Daniel Evans (ENG)
Max Purcell vs Adrian Mannarino (FRE)
Alex De Minaur vs Hugo Dellien (BOL)
Nick Kyrgios vs Paul Jubb (ENG)
Jordan Thompson vs Roberto Carballes Baena (SPA)
James Duckworth vs Andy Murray (ENG)
Thanasi Kokkinakis vs Kamil Majchrzak (POL)
Alexei Popyrin vs Hugo Gaston (FRA)
John Millman vs Miomir Kecmanovic (SER)
Maddison Inglis vs Dalma Galfi (HUN)
Astra Sharma vs Tatjana Maria (GER)
Jaimee Fourlis vs Kirsten Flipkens (BEL)
Zoe Hives vs Maria Sakkari (GRE)
Ajla Tomljanovic vs Jil Teichmann (SWI)
Daria Saville vs Viktoriya Tomova (BUL)
Who will win Wimbledon?
With world No.1 Daniil Medvedev absent because of Wimbledon’s ban on Russian players and world No.2 Alexander Zverev injured, Novak Djokovic is the outright favourite for the men’s title at $1.80, ahead of Matteo Berretini ($6.00), Rafael Nadal ($8.00) and Hubert Hurkacz ($13.00).
Aussie Nick Kyrgios is considered an outside chance at $23.00.
While in the ladies draw, Iga Swiatek is tipped to take victory at $2.40, with Ons Jabeur ($9.00), Petra Kvitova ($12.00) and Cori Gauff ($13.00) also highly fancied.
Serena Williams, in her long-awaited return to tennis, is quotes at $21.00.
How much prizemoney will the winners take away?
The total prize fund for Wimbledon this year is a little more than £40.35 million ($61.60 million AUD) — an increase of 15 per cent on the tournament’s offering in 2021.
The winners of the singles competitions will each earn £2 million ($3.05 million), a substantial raise on the £1.7m ($2.60m) collected by 2021 champions Novak Djokovic and Ash Barty.
First-round losers also needn’t fret, they can still expect to pick up over £50,000 ($76,000).
Australia’s Special Ks will be eyeing a doubles champions share of £540,000 ($824,000).
Is Wimbledon played on real grass?
Yes, the tournament takes place on natural grass – 100 per cent perennial ryegrass to be precise.
Traditionally, the middle Sunday of the competition was designated as a rest day to work on the condition of the courts, but play will continue this year with planners confident that the quality of the surfaces will not be affected.
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