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Carlos Alcaraz extended his winning streak at Wimbledon to nine matches on Wednesday when he recovered from an early dip to record a comfortable straight-sets victory against Australian Aleksandar Vukic.

From 5-2 up in the first set, the third seed briefly lost his way to trail 5-6. However, with the pressure on, Alcaraz quickly broke back to force a tie-break and from there it was one-way traffic, with the Spaniard advancing 7-6(5), 6-2, 6-2.

"I am really happy about my performance," Alcaraz said. "I think the first set was the key. He served for the set and I broke and after I played a really good tie-break. I played a really high level in the second and third sets, so I am really happy about it."

Defending champ in the mood ?@carlosalcaraz knocks out Vukic 7-6(5) 6-2 6-2@Wimbledon | #Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/UAe376xtTz

In 2020, World No. 69 Vukic defeated a then-17-year-old Alcaraz in qualifying at Roland Garros. Nearly four years on and the task at hand was a whole lot harder for the Australian on the lawns of Wimbledon, where Alcaraz is the defending champion.

Holger Rune cut a confident figure Tuesday at Wimbledon, where he cruised through the first round of The Championships. The Danish star was in control throughout his straight-sets victory against Soonwoo Kwon and looked ready to make a push at the grass-court major.

It is not long ago that the 21-year-old suffered one of his most difficult defeats. Rune was one game from defeating Alexander Zverev in the Roland Garros fourth round. Zverev found a way to win and nearly claimed the title, while Rune went home.

The 2023 Nitto ATP Finals competitor did not allow the loss to keep him down.

“I think it's important to take the learning from it. If you just avoid it 100 per cent you're kind of hiding the truth a little bit so I think it's important to learn from it, but at the same time move on because you can't stay and [not] reset for like a week,” Rune told ATPTour.com. “Then it'll just get to you and hurt you even more and do not good for you. So I think it's about taking the learning quickly and talking about it. Then just move on and improve.”

Watch ATP Origins: The Rise Of Holger Rune

The 2024 edition of The Championships are underway, with stars including defending champion Carlos Alcaraz, seven-time Wimbledon titlist Novak Djokovic and Jannik Sinner, the No. 1 player in the PIF ATP Rankings, through to the second round on the London grass.

ATPTour.com looks at five storylines to watch over the rest of the fortnight.

1) Can Sinner Triumph & Extend No. 1 Lead? The Italian has not yet triumphed at Wimbledon, but he will be keen to add the historic trophy to his collection. Sinner, who won his first-round match against Yannick Hanfmann in four sets, reached the semi-finals last year at SW19 and carries momentum after claiming his maiden grass-court title in Halle. He will face a stern test in the second round against 2021 finalist Matteo Berrettini. With Alcaraz dropping 2,000 points and Djokovic 1,200 points compared to Sinner’s 720, it is also an opportunity for the Italian to pad his World No. 1 lead.

2) Djokovic Seeks A Statement: There were questions whether Djokovic would compete at The All England Club after suffering a torn meniscus. Not only did he look sharp in his opener against Vit Kopriva, he only lost five games. The 24-time major champion has regularly displayed an ability to find his best tennis at the biggest tournaments and Wimbledon has been no different. The Serbian owns a 93-11 record at the tournament and is pursuing his record-tying eighth trophy.

? @DjokerNole @Wimbledon | #Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/IqplKyZyR3

Play has begun on Day 3 at Wimbledon after the Wednesday schedule was delayed by morning rain in London.

Once the weather cleared, six men’s singles matches began shortly after 1 p.m. local time (BST) on uncovered courts at the All England Club, including eighth seed Casper Ruud’s clash against Fabio Fognini on No. 2 Court.

Regardless of the weather, the action will begin at 1:30 p.m. on Centre Court and 1:00 p.m. on No. 1 Court due to both stadiums being fitted with a retractable roof.

The No. 5 in the PIF ATP Rankings Daniil Medvedev will take on Alexandre Muller in the first match on Centre Court, where top seed Jannik Sinner later meets 2021 finalist Matteo Berrettini in an all-Italian blockbuster. It will be the pair’s second Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting after Sinner win in straight sets in Toronto last year.

On No. 1 Court, defending champion Carlos Alcaraz faces Aleksandar Vukic in the second match of the day.

Andy Murray will play at least two matches at this year’s Wimbledon after the tournament announced on Wednesday that the former No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings will compete in mixed doubles. His partner will be another British Grand Slam champion, Hologic WTA Tour star Emma Raducanu.

Murray and Raducanu have accepted a wild card into the mixed doubles event, which is set to begin on Friday at the All England Club. Murray is also competing in the men’s doubles, alongside his brother Jamie Murray, after withdrawing from the singles draw due to his ongoing recovery from back surgery. The 2013 and 2016 Wimbledon champion Murray has said this year will mark his final appearance at the grass-court major.

Like Murray, Raducanu is a former US Open champion. She shot to stardom in 2021 when she charged to the title at the hard-court major as an 18-year-old qualifier. Raducanu is already through to the second round in singles at Wimbledon, where she and Murray will hope that blending two generations of British stardom can lead to a successful run in mixed doubles.

“I think the biggest advice is just how he's always taken care of his operations, how he manages his people. I haven't really spoken to him so much,” said Raducanu on Monday, when several British stars were asked about their reflections on Murray’s standout career. “I think for me it's just like watching him operate day to day, watching him be absolutely on it with everything. Even in practice now, he's so on it to the minute.

“I think me, when I was a bit younger maybe, showing up 15 minutes before practice to do a few arm curls, swing my hand around and warm up, he's there for an hour and a half doing treatment. He just sets really good examples.”

No. 2 Court on a mild Tuesday afternoon at Wimbledon was the scene for the first major shock of this year's men’s draw. On his major debut, Argentine Francisco Comesana stunned World No. 6 Andrey Rublev in four sets to earn his first tour-level win.

Immediately after his victory, the 23-year-old raised his arms aloft before he let out a beaming smile. A few hours later Comesana made his way to a small room in the Wimbledon media centre, which overlooks the grounds and the London skyline.

Sat back in his chair with a grin, Comesana switched his phone onto silent. He then placed it on the table in front, with the screen facing down to provide a brief respite from the continuous messages of congratulations that he was receiving.

“I have had lots and lots of texting coming in. My family is in Argentina now and I have spoken with them and my girlfriend, who is very excited,” Comesana told ATPTour.com. “My phone will break with all the messages I am receiving! My friends keep texting too.

"It is amazing. I just enjoyed every moment of the match. I tried to enjoy the occasion, the crowd. It was my first time playing on a court that big. I am enjoying this moment and I am enjoying playing on grass. I am very happy.”

Zhang Zhizhen, China's highest-ranked male player in history, earned his first Wimbledon main-draw victory in his third appearance on Monday. The 27-year-old reached the semi-finals in Halle and now looks to build upon his grass-court success at the All England Club, where he faces Jan-Lennard Struff in the second round.

At the season's third major, ATPTour.com sat down with the No. 38 player in the PIF ATP Rankings to discuss his earliest Wimbledon memories and his ambitions for this year's edition of The Championships.

What is your first memory of watching Wimbledon?
That was Roger against Roddick, 16-14 [in the fifth set]. That’s the one. At the end, I was falling asleep because I was in China. [I was watching] in our club.

What is your first memory of playing at Wimbledon?
The first time I passed the qualies in 2021. The first time I played at Wimbledon, right away passed the qualies to the main site. In the end, since that, I’ve lost every single match. So that would be a good memory to stop! I will change that!

When you first played at Wimbledon, what were your early thoughts about the atmosphere?
I was thinking it was a little bit different. Especially qualies from the main-draw site, it’s always different. Still for me, I don’t think it’s winning a match at Wimbledon if it’s from the qualies site [in Roehampton].

The doubles draw at Wimbledon is studded with star players, from the top doubles tandems to singles standouts like Daniil Medvedev and Stefanos Tsitsipas. One of the most interesting duos is three-time major finalist Casper Ruud and his longtime friend, William Blumberg.

Why is the No. 8 player in the PIF ATP Rankings teaming with an American who went to the University of North Carolina? Ruud and Blumberg’s story dates back to their days as juniors.

“He was the No. 1 junior in the world at a point I was No. 4. And really it started a lot when I went on a trip to Chengdu, China for the ITF Junior Masters,” Blumberg said. “We hung out a lot there. We went to a panda sanctuary and we joked around. And then as we got older, we stayed in touch a bit, but not very much.

“After college, we reconnected and hung out. We bond over the same things, we're pretty similar. We both love golf, obsess over golf and play golf. He's unbelievable at golf, and I try. So we have a lot of the same things, similar values. His girlfriend's friends with my wife now… just a nice friendship.”

Blumberg, now 26, and Ruud, 25, were also close with Miomir Kecmanovic and the memories they created together in their teens keeps them close today. Blumberg, a three-time ATP Tour doubles titlist, has partnered both and claimed a crown with Kecmanovic in 2022 at Los Cabos.

Otto Virtanen had one goal when he arrived at Wimbledon ahead of last week’s qualifying event. The Finnish player wanted to qualify for the main draw and be at his grandfather’s funeral in Helsinki Saturday.

It has been a week of highs and lows full of a wide range of emotions for the 23-year-old since then. Virtanen accomplished both goals, earning his way into the main draw of The Championships for the first time before flying home for a couple of introspective days with family to honour his grandfather.

“I felt that it gave me more power and more strength to show that I had such good memories with him,” Virtanen told ATPTour.com. “He watched all my tennis matches and my online career. And I always got a message after matches, no matter if I won or lost, and always positive. So that was quite a tough moment for me once I heard some weeks ago that he passed away. But I turned it into strength.”

It would have been very easy for Virtanen to succumb to both his opponents and the pain of losing a loved one. In the first round of qualifying against Franco Agamenone, his Italian opponent earned four match points on return at 5-4 in the third set, including three in a row from 0/40.

Virtanen persevered to win the match and then was in deep trouble again in the next round against Swiss Alexander Ritschard, who led their encounter 7-6(1), 4-1 and also had four match points against the Finn. Again, Virtanen found a way through and then won his final-round qualifying match in four sets to book his place in the main draw.

While all-white is all right at The All England Club, Novak Djokovic has discovered that gray is sometimes okay.

After a search for a white sleeve to protect his recovering right knee in the lead-up to The Championships proved fruitless, the seven-time tournament champion sported a gray covering during his 6-1, 6-2, 6-2 win Tuesday against Vit Kopriva.

The 24-time Grand Slam champion had worked to secure permission from the Club to wear the sleeve in the days before the match and received additional confirmation moments before stepping onto Centre Court.

“I did check. I actually just met chairwoman just before walking onto the court," Djokovic said. "She gave me thumbs up, so it was okay. Of course, we did check in the days prior if we have permission. We're trying to find a white one, trust me.

“I saw Frances Tiafoe played, he had actually a black colour sleeve. Gray, I think it's maybe slightly better towards the white. I know it's not ideal. I like to go all white and I like to respect the rules. But I got the permission. I said to them that I will give our best for next match the white one.”

Carlos Alcaraz’s third major triumph and Jannik Sinner’s rise to World No. 1 followed by the Italian's maiden grass-court title headlined June’s ATP Tour action.

The Spaniard won back-to-back five setters in the semi-finals and final to win Roland Garros for the first time. Despite Sinner’s loss in the last four, he surpassed Novak Djokovic atop the PIF ATP Rankings. Sinner then strengthened his claim as the World No. 1 by winning his 14th tour-level title in Halle.

Alex de Minaur, sixth in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin, continued his quest for a maiden trip to the Nitto ATP Finals by winning in 's-Hertogenbosch. ATPTour.com highlights the six champions from June:

Roland Garros, Paris - Carlos AlcarazThe 21-year-old captured his first Roland Garros title, becoming the youngest player to earn a major trophy on all three surfaces (2022 US Open, 2023 Wimbledon). It was a marathon effort from Alcaraz, who rallied past Alexander Zverev 6-3, 2-6, 5-7, 6-1, 6-2 in a four-hour, 19-minute final. The Murcia native became the first champion at the clay-court major to win a semi-final and final each in five sets since Rod Laver in 1962.

BOSS OPEN, Stuttgart - Jack DraperJack Draper earned his maiden ATP Tour crown in Stuttgart, where he defeated two-time champion Matteo Berrettini 3-6, 7-6(5), 6-4 in the final. The lefty relied on his hefty serve and aggressive play to go one step further than his previous two tour-level final appearances and become the British No. 1.

Wimbledon, officially known as The Championships, Wimbledon, is the oldest and one of the most prestigious tennis tournaments in the world. Here's a comprehensive overview of its history: Origins and Early Years 1877: The First Championship The All England Croquet and Lawn Tennis Club (founded in 1868) hosted the first Wimbledon Championship.Only o...

As dusk set across The All England Club on Monday night in London, Aleksandar Vukic leaned back on his chair and let out a sigh of relief. The Australian had just earned a gruelling five-set victory against Sebastian Ofner, saving a match point en route to reaching the second round at Wimbledon after three hours and 49 minutes.

His reward? A meeting with defending champion Carlos Alcaraz.

A smile broke across the Australian’s face when he was told his second-round opponent's name. Gazing into the distance, Vukic recalled his first meeting with the 21-year-old Alcaraz.

“I remember first seeing him when I played him at French Open qualifying in 2020,” Vukic told ATP Tour.com. “I think he was 17 or something. You could tell he was going to be special. There was a lot of hype around him. I actually won that match. I saved a match point there and beat him in the first round. But there was so much hype and you could just tell he had that raw power to him. And age 17, he was destroying the ball. It was obvious something was going to happen. I think two years after that he was World No. 1. It is just a crazy rise.”

Since Alcaraz made his breakthrough on Tour in 2021, he has gained a reputation of being humble and warm. The defending Wimbledon champion often has a smile on his face when walking around site and looks excited when on court.

Alexander Zverev spearheaded some strong performances from Top 10 stars in the PIF ATP Rankings on Tuesday at Wimbledon, although World No. 6 Andrey Rublev became the highest-ranked man to fall so far at the grass major.

The fourth-seeded Zverev breezed past Roberto Carballes Baena 6-2, 6-4, 6-2 on No. 1 Court to reach the second round for the seventh time in eight appearances at SW19. The German powered 46 winners, including 18 aces, in a statement opening win at an event where he is yet to reach the quarter-finals.

“Obviously, first rounds are never easy, but I’m happy with how I started the tournament,” said Zverev in his on-court interview. “I want to compete, I want to do well here at Wimbledon. It’s the most historic tennis tournament that we have.

“I’ve struggled over the years here on these beautiful courts, unfortunately, but I feel different this year. I feel somehow very much more into it, very much more alive on these courts, and hopefully I can show that in the next few matches.”

With his one-hour, 53-minute triumph against Carballes Baena, Zverev set a second-round meeting with Marcos Giron or home wild card Henry Searle in London. He is now 12-2 for the year in Grand Slam matches, having reached the semi-finals at the Australian Open and the championship match at Roland Garros.

Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard produced a memorable serving performance Tuesday to oust 20th seed Sebastian Korda in the first round at Wimbledon.

The 20-year-old lucky loser Mpetshi Perricard blasted 51 aces to eliminate Korda 7-6(5), 6-7(4), 7-6(6), 6-7(4), 6-3 in three hours and 21 minutes. The Frenchman saved all 11 break points he faced to earn his first main draw win at a major.

Mpetshi Perricard lost a four-setter to Maxime Janvier in the final round of qualifying despite hitting 44 aces. He dug deep to deliver even more aces on Court 16 against Korda and this time emerged victorious after two rain delays.

This is Mpetshi Perricard’s first appearance at Wimbledon. One year ago, still yet to crack the Top 200 in the PIF ATP Rankings, the Frenchman was competing in an ATP Challenger Tour event in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan during the grass-court major.

A critical moment came with Korda leading 6/5 in the third-set tie-break. The pressure was on Mpetshi Perricard to avoid falling behind two sets to one against the more-experienced player. He rose to the occasion, delivering back-to-back aces before hitting a forehand volley winner to claim the set.

Novak Djokovic enjoyed a confidence-boosting victory to kick-start his latest Wimbledon campaign on Tuesday, when the seven-time champion breezed past Czech qualifier Vit Kopriva 6-1, 6-2, 6-2.

Djokovic’s preparations for this year’s edition of the grass-court major were hampered after he underwent knee surgery early last month, but the 37-year-old showed no sign of discomfort as he cruised to a one-hour, 58-minute first-round victory under the Centre Court roof. The Serbian broke his opponent’s serve twice in each set to improve to 19-0 in first-round matches at SW19.

“It was very good. I was very pleased with the way I moved on the court today,” said Djokovic in his on-court interview. “Obviously coming into Wimbledon this year, it was a little bit of a different circumstance for me because of the knee. I didn’t know how everything was going to unfold on the court really. Practice sessions are quite different to official match play, so I’m just extremely glad about the way I played and the way I felt today.”

Great start ?@djokernole begins his quest for an 8th #wimbledon title in style! @wimbledon pic.twitter.com/poaKtkYAv6

The 27-year-old Kopriva, who prior to Tuesday had played his only professional tennis on grass at Wimbledon qualifying in 2022, 2023 and this year, was unable to deal with the consistency of his illustrious opponent. Djokovic made just 16 unforced errors across three sets, and finished the match having won 90 per cent (35/39) of points behind his first serve.

Shang Juncheng made history on Monday at Wimbledon, where he became the first Chinese man in the Open Era to win a match at The Championships. Watching on were his parents Wu Na and Shang Yi, who both know what it takes to compete at the highest level in sport.

Shang’s mother Wu Na was a world champion in table tennis, winning a bronze medal at the 1995 World Tennis Championships in women’s doubles and a gold medal in mixed doubles in 1997. Shang’s father played professional football as a midfielder, spending the majority of his career with Beijing Guoan and earning two international caps for China in 2000. 

“They have always played their own sports with me since I was a kid," Shang told ATPTour.com at Wimbledon. "I played a lot of football with my dad and some table tennis with mum and then also we would go and have fun with other sports as well, so I think that we're a pretty sporty family. We have always liked to be active and competitive, so I think that sets a good tone as an athlete when you're really young, learning how to compete.

“My grandparents have shown me some footage of my parents playing sport as well. My parents don't like to brag about how they were doing before. But they were great athletes, I believe. And results-wise, they were for sure.”

#NextGenATP Shang would spend many afternoons playing football in the park with his dad when he was young. However, the Chinese lefty admitted that trying to make the grade in tennis was always the No. 1 goal.

Andrey Rublev is making his fifth appearance at Wimbledon, where last year he reached the quarter-finals, his best result at the season's third major.

Ahead of the grass-court Slam, ATPTour.com sat down with the No. 6 player in the PIF ATP Rankings to discuss his earliest Wimbledon memories and a fun — but scary — hobby he indulged in last year during the tournament.

What is your first memory of watching Wimbledon?
For sure my first experience was watching on TV. I was a kid, not travelling to see any tournaments, so I could only watch tennis on TV. I don’t remember which match was exactly my first ever, but first everything starts with TV and as I became older, I started to understand more about tennis, follow more players and little by little, you get to know the tournaments and the results.

I remember listening to the radio on if Rafa won his match at Wimbledon or how the situation [went].

When did you first play at Wimbledon and what were your first impressions?
Juniors in 2014. At that time, when I was playing juniors, every Slam was something unbelievable because other junior tournaments cannot compare. They have only the club, organisers from the tournament and the players. You don’t really have spectators. You play these junior tournaments with only your coach watching. Maybe some tournaments try to bring spectators, but it’s not the same.

Play has resumed on all courts at Wimbledon after Tuesday's schedule was interrupted by rain in London.

Day 2 action at the grass-court major began at 11 a.m. local time (BST), before the rain forced 10 men’s singles matches being held on uncovered courts to be suspended at approximately 12:15 p.m. The players returned to the SW19 grass shortly before 1:30 p.m, however, with seventh seed Hubert Hurkacz aiming to escape some early trouble on No. 3 Court. The Pole resumed his clash with Radu Albot trailing 5-7, 1-1.

Despite the weather, the action began at 1:30 p.m. on Centre Court and 1 p.m. on No. 1 Court, with both stadiums fitted with a retractable roof.

Seven-time Wimbledon champion and No. 2 in the PIF ATP Rankings Novak Djokovic will take on Vit Kopriva in the second match on Centre Court, before home favourite Jack Draper meets Elias Ymer. On No. 1 Court, fourth seed Alexander Zverev vs. Roberto Carballes Baena is the second match on.

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For some time, Matteo Berrettini was the leading man in Italian tennis. The 28-year-old became just the fourth Italian to crack the Top 10 in the PIF ATP Rankings in 2019 and then in 2021 he reached his maiden major final at Wimbledon, taking the first set against Novak Djokovic before falling.

While Berrettini was making his mark at the top of the Tour, a gangly, curly red-haired teen named Jannik Sinner was at the start of his ascent. In the same year that Berrettini cracked the Top 10, Sinner made his debut at the US Open before he won the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF that November.

Sinner then rose into the Top 10 for the first time in July 2022, two weeks after Berrettini dropped out. He arrives at Wimbledon this week as the World No. 1 and the Australian Open champion, having firmly taken the Italian baton from Berrettini.

Sinner and Berrettini will now go face-to-face in a blockbuster second-round clash at Wimbledon on Wednesday, when the 22-year-old will be the favourite given their recent trajectories.

Speaking ahead of the clash, Berrettini reflects fondly on the first time he hit with Sinner.