Emma Raducanu Faces Tough Wimbledon Draw Against Aryna Sabalenka

Emma Raducanu could face world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the Wimbledon third round after the draw was made on Friday.

The 30th seed Raducanu must first overcome a tricky opponent in the opening round, Croatia's Antonia Ruzic, on Monday.

Fears have been mounting over Raducanu's fitness heading into the tournament, after she missed a scheduled practice session on Thursday and was spotted wearing a protective boot on her right foot on Wednesday evening.

Should Raducanu advance, she could set up an all-British tie against Harriet Dart if she defeats Jelena Ostapenko in her first-round match.

Raducanu and Sabalenka squared off in a thrilling third-round encounter at last year's All England Championships, but the Brit was defeated by the Belarusian 7-6 (8-6) 6-4 on Friday, 7 July 2023.

Elsewhere, Serena Williams will return to Wimbledon following a four-year absence, and has been drawn against world No 53 Maya Joint, who debuted at the All England Championships last year but was knocked out in the first round by Liudmila Samsonova.

In the men's singles draw, seven-time Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic has drawn China's Yibing Wu in the first round, while defending champion Jannik Sinner will commence his tournament against a qualifier, with the possibility of facing Stefanos Tsitsipas in the second round, who has suffered a dip in form over the last 12 months, dropping to No 88 in the ATP Tour rankings.

The tournament starts on Monday, with Raducanu's first-round match against Antonia Ruzic, and the potential for an all-British tie in the third round, should she advance, against Harriet Dart, who faces Jelena Ostapenko in her first-round match.

Jack Draper was also handed a tough opening match against No 6 seed Taylor Fritz, with the pair having faced each other five times previously on the ATP Tour, and Draper edging their head-to-head, winning three of their five encounters, including their most recent match at the 2023 ATP Masters 1000 in Monte Carlo, where Draper won in straight sets, 6-4, 6-3, on 12 April 2023.