Wimbledon 2024: The lineup for center court on Day 3 includes Naomi Osaka
By Lee Vowell
Wimbledon is through the first round so the field has been cut in half. After Thursday, the field will be cut in half again. Two weeks might seem to be a long time for a tennis Grand Slam, but the events almost feel like they go by far too fast.
The tournament has had a couple of upsets but has been more notable for the players who have been forced to withdraw. Andy Murray stepped out on Tuesday after trying to give the tournament a go in practice rounds. Trying to get back to any kind of physical shape to play professional tennis just a couple of weeks after having surgery to remove a spinal cyst proved impossible, however.
Aryna Sabalenka was a more shocking withdrawal as her shoulder was not improving enough for her to be able to play. There is no timeline for her return, and the injury will likely not require surgery, but if a player such as Sabalenka cannot serve as well as she normally does, she is a greatly weakened player. She might not play again until at least August.
Who is playing on center court on day three of Wimbledon 2024?
To begin play on center court to start the second round will be Daniil Medvedev versus Bayern Munich's Thomas Muller. (OK, that was a joke. Just seeing how closely you are reading, I guess. Medvedev will instead play Alexandre Muller.)
Oddly, while both players are in their late 20s, they have never played one another. Muller has a career record of just 20-30 and has only played three professional tennis matches on grass courts. Medvedev should win the match in no worse than four sets. The match is set to begin at 13:30 London time, which is 8:30 am ET.
Some older players had great starts at Wimbledon 2024. Some older players had great starts at Wimbledon 2024. dark. Next
Following Medvedev versus Muller, Naomi Osaka will take on Emma Navarro on center court. This should be an excellent match as Osaka has been in better form recently and Navarro is having her best year on tour. Osaka should have the power to get by Navarro, but only if she plays consistently well throughout the match or Navarro will steal a victory.
Finishing up the day on center court will be a battle for Italy. Top-seed Jannik Sinner will play Matteo Berrettini. This is another odd one as the two have only played once before when Sinner defeated his countryman at the Canada Open in 2023. Berrettini did make the final at Wimbledon in 2021 so he is a dangerous opponent for Sinner.
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