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After struggling physically on a hot day at Wimbledon, two-time Wimbledon champion Ons Jabeur, who had lost to Viktoriya Tomova, pulled out of her first-round match when she was one set and a break behind.

The Tunisian former world number two, who has since suffered injuries and is currently ranked 59th, left the court for 14 minutes at 3-2 in the first set after taking a medical timeout.

Before a physio examined her blood pressure, she had previously looked distressed while sitting in her chair during the changeover, burying her head in her towel, drinking water, and applying an ice towel to her neck.

With Bulgaria’s Tomova leading 7-6 (7-5) 2-0, she returned to the court but never looked comfortable.

Jabeur, who did not speak at a press conference and left with a doctor, said, “I wasn’t expecting not to feel good.” “Over the past few days, I have been practicing pretty well, but I suppose these things do.”

Even though this has been a very difficult season for me, I’m pretty sad because it really doesn’t help with my confidence and what I keep pushing myself to do.

She continued, “I’d like to take some time off now and just try to get some rest,” and spend some time with her family.

According to the weather forecast, Monday in south-west London will see temperatures as high as 33C.

Ons Jabeur, the two-time Wimbledon champion, retired after suffering with a physical strain on a hot day in London, while Aryna Sabalenka, the world no. 1, triumphed in the first round.

Sabalenka, a three-time Grand Slam champion who had a shoulder injury that prevented her from winning the previous year’s event, started the match with a strong 6-1 7-5 victory on Court One.

The Belarusian had previously claimed prior to the match that Branstine was only aware of her opponent because she was “so beautiful” and that Branstine was working as a model to support her tennis career.

She will now be aware that Sabalenka’s second set had access to a very powerful serve, which she was able to use to make things difficult for her.

However, Sabalenka was able to break the deadlock in the eleventh game of the second set as the temperature reached 30C before serving it out to prevent having to spend any more time in the sweltering heat.

Sabalenka, who is aiming for her first Wimbledon title, said, “I’m super happy to be back, to be healthy, and to compete at this beautiful tournament.”

“I couldn’t feel this atmosphere last year because I was so depressed.” Of course, I’m very pleased with how it turned out. I’m so relieved to have finished.

In the opening set of her match against Bulgaria’s Viktoriya Tomova, the Tunisian former world number two clearly struggled in the conditions and had to wait 14 minutes before being forced to play again.

After looking uneasy for much of the match, Jabeur eventually called it a day, trailing 7-6 (7-5) 2-0, and has since fallen off the list due to injuries. He is now ranked 59th.

Before a physio examined her blood pressure, she had previously looked distressed while sitting in her chair during the changeover, burying her head in her towel, drinking water, and applying an ice towel to her neck.

Jabeur, who did not speak at a press conference and left with a doctor, said, “I wasn’t expecting not to feel good.” “Over the past few days, I have been practicing pretty well, but I suppose these things do.”

Even though this has been a very difficult season for me, I’m pretty sad because it really doesn’t help with my confidence and what I keep pushing myself to do.

She continued, “I’d like to take some time off now and just try to get some rest,” and spend some time with her family.

According to the weather forecast, Monday in south-west London will see temperatures as high as 33C.

England won their first major title at Euro 2022 with Chloe Kelly’s extra-time winner at Wembley thanks to home advantage.

However, three years in the sport is a long time, and Opta’s pre-tournament projections clearly indicate that Spain will win the title this summer despite not having advanced past the quarter-finals for 28 years.

According to Opta’s prediction model, the world champions have a 25% chance of winning Euro 2025 after falling to the Lionesses in the final eight of the year in 2022.

In the event that they do, La Roja would become only the second women’s team in history to triumph in both the World Cup and the European Championships, joining Germany, which won five major tournaments in a row between 2001 and 2009 (three Euros, two World Cups).

England, the reigning champions, have a 17% chance of defending their title, according to Sarina Wiegman’s side, who are expected to have the best chance of defeating Spain.

Who better to guide the Lionesses’ way to the final after almost a third of Opta’s simulations (29%), who has a flawless record at the Women’s Euros, winning 12 of their matches in 2017 and England in 2022, and the Dutchwoman, who won 6 of the 12 in 2017 and 6 in 2022.

However, we won’t be able to watch the 2023 World Cup final against Spain and England, which they will face in Switzerland if both of their groups are defeated.

The Opta predictor predicts that France (39%), France (39%), and England (40%) will almost always be the top two teams in Group D, while Les Bleues are (168%) the second-place team overall in the Euros (16%).

France, which eliminated Wendie Renard as captain and Eugenie le Sommer from their squad for the tournament, have played 26 games and won 11 of those matches, which is the most among nations that have never reached the final.

No reigning champion has ever lost their first game at the next tournament (W7, D5), despite the Lionesses having also won each of their previous 14 group-stage matches at major tournaments, including the World Cup and Euros, which is the longest ever run by a European nation.

So, we can anticipate a promising start from England, who are the only team at Euro 2025 to have defeated each of their group opponents in their most recent meeting, and that will help lessen the negative hum that has been brewing in the squad’s pre-tournament.

After losing three key players just one month after the Euros, Wiegman has been put under pressure to calm the England squad.

In Switzerland, Mary Earps, Millie Bright, and Fran Kirby, who were all starting for England, featured no players despite retiring from their first group stage game to the final.

Hannah Hampton now ranks as England’s top player for the tournament, despite the fact that, in fairness, there were indications that this would continue even without Earps’ retirement.

Between the start of 2024 and the 32-year-old’s retirement, the Chelsea goalkeeper started 10 of England’s 16 games while earning only 16 senior caps, compared to Earps’ 53.

The statistics do suggest Hampton is the right choice to be the Lionesses’ first-choice keeper when compared to just competitive games and over the course of the 2023 World Cup.

In that time, Hampton has improved his save rate (67.9% to 63%), kept more clean sheets (five to two), and conceded fewer goals than expected, according to Opta’s expected goals-on-target model (1. 4). On the other hand, Earps conceded more than the model had anticipated (-1.1%).

However, the Lionesses’ victory over Germany in the final did not appear to have altered things, leading them to 20 games without losing in all competitions after that. Before the game 31 versus Australia, Wiegman was beaten as England manager, he didn’t take the job until April 2023.

England have lost seven of their 32 games since the start of the 2023 World Cup, and the results have also significantly worsened.

England are accumulating fewer expected goals (xG) per game, 3.4 down to 2, and scoring fewer goals overall (4. 3 down to 4).

The Lionesses are facing more shots in defense (5.6 to 9.3) and giving their opponents better chances (xGA 0: 1 / 1). They are thus conceding much more frequently (0. 4 to 1.0) per game.

England’s ball possession levels have been comparable throughout Wiegman’s administration, but their off-the-ball numbers have also decreased in a similar way and amount to their defensive numbers.

Since the World Cup, they have 17 low high turnovers per game, down to 13.1, and have 3 lower high turnovers per game than they have, at 1.8%.

Russo and Khadija Shaw of Manchester City each won the 2024-25 WSL Golden Boot, and she did so on 20 occasions last term, surpassing all other Women’s Super League players. She also scored 12 goals in the same year.

The most successful Women’s Champions League campaign by an English player to date in a single season since 2009-10 saw seven of those strikes.

Aitana Bonmati, a Spanish player who won the women’s Ballon d’Or for the past two years, has been honored as the world’s best player without a doubt.

The 27-year-old was the leading chance creator in open play in Europe’s big five (67) and the Women’s Champions League (305) in 2024-25, and he came in second among the two Women’s Nations League (25) editions in that regard.

Wimbledon 2025

Dates: 30 June-13 July Venue: All England Club

Coverage: Live across BBC TV, radio and online with extensive coverage on BBC iPlayer, Red Button, Connected TVs and mobile app.

The sight of thousands of people queuing in the hope of gaining entry to the grounds is one of the most celebrated quirks of Wimbledon, a tournament renowned for its strong ties to tradition.

While the influence of technology increases in sport, with this the first Championships without the presence of line judges, the sense of community and camaraderie apparent in the queue continues to not only endure, but thrive.

Despite long waits – those at the front of the queue arrived as early as noon on Friday to claim their spot – and soaring temperatures before the first day of action at SW19, there are few grumbles of discontent with the process as more than 10,000 people arrived at Wimbledon Park before the first day of play.

“It’s just nice to be able to take time out of everything else. It’s like being in a parallel universe,” says Vicki Broad, from Neath in Wales, who along with husband Nigel are first in this year’s queue.

“We’ve met people from all over the world, just chatting away and getting to know people.

“It’s a community of people, all with a common goal. There are never any problems in the queue, the stewards run it so well.

Queuing for access to the grounds and the limited show court tickets available – 500 tickets are available for Centre Court, Court One and court two – usually begins in Wimbledon Park the night before each day’s play.

Before the opening day, however, eager fans get into position as much as a couple of days before.

Entry is permitted until the 42,000 capacity is reached and the All England Club advised people to stop travelling once the queue exceeded 10,000 on Monday morning.

Linda Jacobs flew in from Houston, Texas on Thursday night with her friend Aleta to arrive second in this year’s queue, after being fifth last year.

“If you’re going to fly that far, you want to make sure you get a really wonderful ticket!” said Jacobs.

Being able to watch a specific player offers huge motivation for many in the queue.

Jorge, visiting with friends from Madrid, said: “We were here last year to watch Carlos [Alcaraz] in the first round and our motivation for queueing was to see him play on Centre Court on the opening day.

“It’s an incredible experience, very unique, obviously. Camping here just to get tennis tickets I think is something that you can only do here in Wimbledon.

The days of queuing for tickets are long behind perhaps the most famous fans in tennis – Jannik Sinner’s faithful Carota Boys.

The group of childhood friends from Turin have regularly attended the world number one’s matches over the past two years dressed as carrots, after Sinner once ate one during a match in 2019.

For Wimbledon this year they will have their own watch-along show in Italy alongside players and celebrities – but that will change should Sinner reach the final and potentially contest another epic major final against Carlos Alcaraz.

“It is something really crazy, it started as just a joke between us as friends and we never thought it could become something this big. Now we are really famous in the tennis world. It’s like we became professional supporters or something like that,” says Alessandro.

“We have a good relationship with Jannik. Sometimes we chat on WhatsApp, sometimes we meet him during the tournaments, one time we played tennis with him.

“He appreciates us because we came out before he became the player he is now, but also we respect the tennis atmosphere – it is something in his style, he is a polite and really humble guy.

Captain Angharad James says the reception the Wales squad have received on their arrival in Switzerland has been “truly overwhelming”.

Wales’ first major tournament appearance begins on Saturday, 5 June with Rhian Wilkinson’s side facing Netherlands in Lucerne.

The players arrived in their training base of Weinfelden on Sunday, 29 June and were greeted prior to their first training session by hundreds of local school children.

“It is truly overwhelming. The locals are supporting us and it has been a crazy welcome, unforgettable,” James told BBC Sport Wales.

After a week-long training camp in Lagos in Portugal, Wales have arrived in Switzerland with temperatures soaring across Europe as their preparations for their opening game ramp up.

“It feels real now. Our backroom staff have done a great job of making us feel at home here,” James said.

James reiterated her belief that despite being drawn in as tough a group as they possibly could – with games against France and England also to come – Wales, the lowest ranked side in the tournament, are confident of causing some upsets.

“Our fans have been amazing. It’s been a progression over the years. We want to inspire the next generation,” James said.

“I am really excited and proud of this group of players. I really do believe we can go into this tournament and upset a few teams.

“As long as we perform, I really believe in us, I really truly believe we will do well.”

Wales’ first training session was conducted in heat over 30C, but James said that has been no issue for the Wales players.

“We acclimatised in Portugal, we had a really good training camp and an in-house game that was very competitive,” James added.

The 2025 Championships will begin in Wimbledon on Monday, with record-breaking temperatures.

The record set in 2001, 29.3C, is expected to be broken.

Wimbledon has a heat rule for all singles matches in order to help ensure players are safe.

Wimbledon determines whether the heat rule should be upheld using the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) scale.

A heat stress monitor measures the heat index of the WBGT, which combines air temperature, humidity, and surface temperature.

Players will be allowed to take 10-minute breaks during a match if the WBGT is 30.1% or higher.

Even if matches have already begun when the WBGT exceeds 30. 1C, the heat rule applies to all singles competitions. For it to be enforced, just one player needs to request the 10-minute break.

The 10-minute break will be taken at the end of the third set for best-of-five-set matches in men’s singles. This is done at the end of the second set in best-of-three-sets matches.

Players are permitted to leave the court during breaks, but they are not permitted to go for coaching or medical care.

At 14:00 BST and 17:00 BST, WBGT readings at Wimbledon are taken 30 minutes before the start of play.

A best-of-three-sets match that has already finished one set will not be affected by a move that is carried over to the following day with the heat rule in place. Any best-of-five-sets matches that have won two sets will not be considered for this.

On Monday, it is anticipated to be 33C or 34C at Wimbledon.

It will easily be the Championships’ hottest opening day, breaking the previous record of 29.3C set in 2001.

On Tuesday, expect high temperatures in the low 30s once more.

The players and spectators will experience a heat index, or “feels like temperature,” that is closer to 37C, even though 33C or 34C is the maximum air temperature.

On the court, where airflow is more constrained, it might feel hotter.

However, we don’t anticipate the highest temperature ever recorded to occur during the Wimbledon fortnight, which was 35.7C on July 1, 2015.

The remainder of the week will be cooler, with some rain forecast for Wednesday and possibly the weekend.

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