Venus Williams Will Begin Her 24th Wimbledon Appearance against Elina Svitolina

Tennis - Wimbledon - Preview - All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, London, Britain - June 29, 2023 Venus Williams of the US during a practice session. (Reuters)
Tennis - Wimbledon - Preview - All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, London, Britain - June 29, 2023 Venus Williams of the US during a practice session. (Reuters)
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Venus Williams Will Begin Her 24th Wimbledon Appearance against Elina Svitolina

Tennis - Wimbledon - Preview - All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, London, Britain - June 29, 2023 Venus Williams of the US during a practice session. (Reuters)
Tennis - Wimbledon - Preview - All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, London, Britain - June 29, 2023 Venus Williams of the US during a practice session. (Reuters)

Five-time Wimbledon champion Venus Williams will begin her 24th appearance at the tournament against 2019 semifinalist Elina Svitolina, while Friday's draw put two-time titlist Andy Murray up against wild-card entry Ryan Peniston in an all-British first-round matchup.

Williams, who is 43 and has played just five matches this season, and Svitolina, who returned to the tour in April after taking time off to have a baby, both were given wild cards by the All England Club.

Whoever wins that contest could face No. 28 seed Elise Mertens in the second round, followed perhaps by a matchup against No. 7 Coco Gauff, the American who was just 15 when she began her Grand Slam career by eliminating Williams at Wimbledon in 2019.

Williams won Wimbledon in 2000, 2001, 2005, 2007 and 2008, to go along with two US Open trophies.

Audible gasps filled the All England Club's main interview room where the draw was being conducted when Murray — who has twice undergone hip surgery since winning Wimbledon in 2013 and 2016 — was drawn to face a fellow British player, and again moments later when the winner of that match was slated to take on either No. 5 seed Stefanos Tsitsipas, twice a major finalist, or 2020 US Open champion Dominic Thiem.

Murray's initial title at Wimbledon made him the first British man in 77 years to earn the singles title there.

Play at the year's third Grand Slam tournament begins Monday, when No. 2 seed Novak Djokovic will open his bid for a fifth consecutive championship — and eighth overall — at the All England Club against Pedro Cachin, a 67th-ranked Argentine making his Wimbledon debut.

The potential men's quarterfinals are No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz vs. No. 6 Holger Rune, and No. 3 Daniil Medvedev vs. Tsitsipas on the top half of the bracket, and Djokovic vs. No. 7 Andrey Rublev, and No. 4 Casper Ruud vs. No. 8 Jannik Sinner on the bottom half.

Possible women's quarterfinals are No. 1 Iga Swiatek vs. Gauff, and No. 4 Jessica Pegula vs. No. 5 Caroline Garcia on the top half, and No. 3 Elena Rybakina vs. No. 6 Ons Jabeur, and No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka vs. No. 8 Maria Sakkari on the bottom half.

Rybakina-Jabeur would be a rematch of last year's final, won by Rybakina.



Man City Striker Erling Haaland Signs New Contract Until 2034

FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Premier League - Brentford v Manchester City - GTech Community Stadium, London, Britain - January 14, 2025 Manchester City's Erling Haaland applauds their fans after the match REUTERS/Toby Melville
FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Premier League - Brentford v Manchester City - GTech Community Stadium, London, Britain - January 14, 2025 Manchester City's Erling Haaland applauds their fans after the match REUTERS/Toby Melville
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Man City Striker Erling Haaland Signs New Contract Until 2034

FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Premier League - Brentford v Manchester City - GTech Community Stadium, London, Britain - January 14, 2025 Manchester City's Erling Haaland applauds their fans after the match REUTERS/Toby Melville
FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Premier League - Brentford v Manchester City - GTech Community Stadium, London, Britain - January 14, 2025 Manchester City's Erling Haaland applauds their fans after the match REUTERS/Toby Melville

Erling Haaland has signed a new contract at Manchester City that ties him to the Premier League champions until 2034.
City announced the new 9½-year deal on Friday for the 24-year-old Haaland, who has scored 111 goals in 125 games since joining the club from Borussia Dortmund in 2022, The Associated Press reported.
“Now I want to keep developing, keep working to get better and look to do my best to try and help us achieve more success going forward,” Haaland said in a City statement.
The Norway striker will be age 34 when the contract expires.
“Everyone at the club is absolutely delighted that Erling has signed his new contract,” said Txiki Begiristain, City’s outgoing director of football. “The fact he is signed for so long demonstrates our commitment to him as a player, and his love of this club.”
The new deal for Haaland comes as City awaits a verdict after being charged with 115 breaches of the Premier League’s financial rules.
“Now I am City no matter what,” Haaland said.