Wimbledon 2022: 5 things you must know before the tournament opener

The 2022 Wimbledon Championships will be the 135th edition of the grasscourt Slam. On the men's side, defending champion Novak Djokovic is the top seed. Iga Swiatek is the top seed in the women's draw. The defending ladies' singles champion, Ashleigh Barty, retired in March.

The 2022 edition marks the return of fans at SW19 in full capacity after two years of restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It is also the first time that players have been allowed limited practice on Centre Court. Prior to this, Wimbledon was the only event that did not allow players to get any pre-tournament practice due to the difficulty of maintaining the grass.

Marking the 100th year of the prestigious Centre Court, the Royal Box will get a more polished look and the 15,000-capacity stadium will be more accessible. Legendary broadcaster Sue Barker, a former semifinalist at Wimbledon, will bid goodbye as the BBC presenter after 30 years. Hailed as the voice and face of the British Major over the past couple of decades, a small celebration will be held on Centre Court as a tribute to Barker's contribution to the Wimbledon broadcast.

Let's take a look at five key points ahead of the third Slam of the year that will not follow the usual trend of previous editions:

#1 Introduction of Mixed Doubles Invitational

Up until 2019, men's and women's invitational doubles featuring retired tennis players were a common feature at Wimbledon. However, both these events were not contested in 2020 due to the pandemic and were also slashed in 2021. Both these events will return to the tournament this year.

Apart from the invitational doubles competition, there will be an invitational mixed doubles competition for the first time. The event will be held from July 5-10.

#2 Introduction of 10-point tie-break in the decider

Earlier this season, the ATP, WTA and ITF came together to introduce a universal tie-break system for all four Slams. According to the new rules, matches that go to 6-6 in the final set of the match will be decided by a 10-point tie-break. The 2022 French Open became the first tournament to follow this rule.

Unlike in 2019 and 2021, where a tie-break decided the match at a score of 12-12 in the final set, the 2022 edition of Wimbledon will now follow the new 10-point tie-break system.

#3 Introduction of scheduled 'middle Sunday' play

A highlight of Wimbledon's scheduling in the past has been that no matches were played on 'middle Sunday'. This has been attributed to making the grass ready for the second week. Wimbledon groundsmen use a machine called Billy Goat that hoovers up all the debris that has accumulated near the lines of the court. They also water the grass as needed. The 'middle Sunday' has also been used as a reserve day for fourth-round matches if they do not finish on schedule.

Beginning this year, Wimbledon will have fourth-round matches scheduled for 'middle Sunday'. The technology that will aid in maintaining the quality of the surface is called steamed grass. It will kill unwanted pests and also make the grass more resilient to wear. The new format also means that the tradition of 'Manic Monday' will be terminated.

Earlier, 'Manic Monday' featured all Round of 16 matches from the men's and women's singles draws.

#4 Ban on Russian and Belarusian players

Russia's invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022. The two nations have been at war for four months and the repercussions have been felt on the men's and women's tours. The All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) announced in April that Russian and Belarusian players would not be allowed to participate at the 2022 Wimbledon Championships.

The AELTC's statement consisted of a comment from Ian Hewitt, chairman of the All England Club.

“We recognise that this is hard on the individuals affected, and it is with sadness that they will suffer for the actions of the leaders of the Russian regime. We have very carefully considered the alternative measures that might be taken within the UK Government guidance but, given the high profile environment of The Championships, the importance of not allowing sport to be used to promote the Russian regime and our broader concerns for public and player (including family) safety, we do not believe it is viable to proceed on any other basis at The Championships," the statement read.

#5 No ranking points for Wimbledon 2022

The statement by the AELTC banning Russian and Belarusian players was met with immense criticism. The ATP, WTA and ITF protested by scraping off ranking points for the 2022 Wimbledon Championships. This has led to the withdrawal of many high-profile players from the event.

The decision has been termed crazy, illogical and discriminatory by players like Novak Djokovic and Andrey Rublev. However, Ukrainian players Marta Kostyuk and Sergiy Stakhovsky have welcomed the decision.