Novak Djokovic, Iga Swiatek, Venus Williams and Coco Gauff Get Wimbledon Started on Day 1 

Novak Djokovic of Serbia takes part in a practice session ahead of the Wimbledon tennis championships at Wimbledon, in London, Sunday, July 2, 2023. The Wimbledon Tennis championships start on July 3. (AP)
Novak Djokovic of Serbia takes part in a practice session ahead of the Wimbledon tennis championships at Wimbledon, in London, Sunday, July 2, 2023. The Wimbledon Tennis championships start on July 3. (AP)
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Novak Djokovic, Iga Swiatek, Venus Williams and Coco Gauff Get Wimbledon Started on Day 1 

Novak Djokovic of Serbia takes part in a practice session ahead of the Wimbledon tennis championships at Wimbledon, in London, Sunday, July 2, 2023. The Wimbledon Tennis championships start on July 3. (AP)
Novak Djokovic of Serbia takes part in a practice session ahead of the Wimbledon tennis championships at Wimbledon, in London, Sunday, July 2, 2023. The Wimbledon Tennis championships start on July 3. (AP)

Wimbledon gets started on Monday with some of the biggest names in tennis in action, including Novak Djokovic, Iga Swiatek, Venus Williams and Coco Gauff.

It is the year's third major tournament — and Djokovic won the first two: the Australian Open in January and the French Open in June. That puts him halfway to the first calendar-year Grand Slam in men's tennis since 1969. He came close to the feat in 2021, falling just one victory short when he lost in the final of the US Open.

He seeks a fifth consecutive title at the All England Club and eighth overall, which both would tie records for men.

Djokovic's title at Roland Garros was his 23rd at a Slam event, breaking a tie with Rafael Nadal for the men's mark in that category.

As the reigning men's champion at Wimbledon, Djokovic is scheduled to play the opening match at Centre Court on Day 1, facing Pedro Cachin of Argentina.

They'll be followed in the main stadium by Williams, a 43-year-old participating in the sport's oldest major tournament for the 24th time and taking on Elina Svitolina of Ukraine. Williams — whose younger sister, Serena, retired after last season — won five of her seven Grand Slam singles trophies at Wimbledon.

The No. 1-ranked Swiatek, who owns four major titles but hasn't been past the fourth round at the All England Club, gets things started at No. 1 Court against Zhu Lin of China. Up next in that arena will be three-time Grand Slam runner-up Casper Ruud against Laurent Lokoli, and then Gauff — a 19-year-old American who was a French Open finalist last year — against 2020 Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin.



Flights Cancelled to and from Indonesia’s Bali Due to Volcanic Ash

 Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki spews ash and smoke during an eruption as seen from Lewolaga village in Titihena, East Nusa Tenggara, on November 13, 2024. (AFP)
Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki spews ash and smoke during an eruption as seen from Lewolaga village in Titihena, East Nusa Tenggara, on November 13, 2024. (AFP)
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Flights Cancelled to and from Indonesia’s Bali Due to Volcanic Ash

 Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki spews ash and smoke during an eruption as seen from Lewolaga village in Titihena, East Nusa Tenggara, on November 13, 2024. (AFP)
Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki spews ash and smoke during an eruption as seen from Lewolaga village in Titihena, East Nusa Tenggara, on November 13, 2024. (AFP)

Several international airlines cancelled flights to and from Indonesia's resort island of Bali on Wednesday, after further eruptions of a volcano that has spewed ash clouds as high as 10 km (32,808 ft) and forced thousands to evacuate.

Jetstar and Qantas said they had stopped flights to Bali on Wednesday for safety reasons because of volcanic ash, while plane tracking website Flightradar24 showed flights to the island by AirAsia and Virgin were also cancelled.

Bali is Indonesia's top tourist hotspot and is a popular destination for Australian visitors.

The first eruption of the Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki on Nov. 3 in the East Nusa Tenggara province, about 800 km (497 miles) from Bali, killed at least nine people. It has since erupted repeatedly, including multiple times on Tuesday.

From Nov. 4 to Nov. 12, 80 flights in Bali were cancelled, including from Singapore, Hong Kong, and several Australian cities, said Ahmad Syaugi Shahab, general manager of Bali's Ngurah Rai airport.

Indonesia has close to 130 active volcanoes and sits on the Pacific "Ring of Fire", an area of high seismic activity atop various tectonic plates.

The ash column from Mount Lewotobi has reached as high as 10 km and authorities have said sand fall has covered surrounding areas.