·         Fourth Attempt in a Year for Williams to Tie Steffi Graf with 22, Open Era Record

·         Rematch of Kerber’s Stunning Victory in Australian Open Final

·         Breakfast at Wimbledon at 8 a.m. ET with Hannah Storm – BJK Interview, Why White?

·         Gentlemen’s, Ladies’ Doubles Championships on ESPN; Williams Sisters Seek 14th Major Doubles Crown

·         “Wimbledon Surround” on WatchESPN with Three-Box Screen to Watch Players Individually

·         ABC with Encore Presentation at 3 p.m. ET

ESPN’s exclusive coverage of Wimbledon continues with the Wimbledon Ladies’ Championship on Saturday, July 9, at 9 a.m. ET with top-seeded Serena Williams seeking her 22nd career Major title – a fourth attempt to tie Steffi Graf for the Open Era record after capturing her 21st at Wimbledon a year ago – against Angelique Kerber, the 28-year old lefthander who stunned Williams in the Australian Open final 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 for her first Major title.  The fourth-seeded German has not dropped a set during the fortnight; she will rise to No. 2 in the rankings win or lose.

Chris Fowler will call the match with 18-time Major winner – including three at the All England Club – Chrissie Evert.  Tom Rinaldi will handle the post-match interviews.  The match will be preceded by Breakfast at Wimbledon hosted by Hannah Storm at 8 a.m.  Also, ABC will present an encore presentation of the match at 3 p.m.

• 1 Serena Williams (USA) vs. No. 4 Angelique Kerber (GER)
• Williams leads their head-to-head 5-2 (all on hard court, including this year’s Australian Open final, won by Kerber in three sets.
• Williams has 70 career titles, including 21 Majors (21-6 record), six at Wimbledon. Kerber has nine and one (1-0).
• Last year at Wimbledon, then-33 Williams became the oldest woman to win a Major in the Open Era.
• Williams has reached the final of seven of the last eight Majors (not 2015 US Open).
• With a win, Kerber would become only the eighth player to defeat both Williams Sisters in the same event.
• Kerber and Graf – whom Serena has in her sights for the Open Era record of Majors won – are the only two German women to reach more than one Major final in the Open Era.

Breakfast at Wimbledon Hosted by Hannah Storm

Breakfast at Wimbledon hosted by Hannah Storm starts the day for Championship weekend at 8 a.m. on July 9-10, previewing the Championships.  In addition to a preview of the Ladies’ Championship and a look back at the Gentlemen’s Semifinals, segments on Friday’s show include:

• Host Hannah Storm sits down with Billie Jean King on the 50th anniversary of King’s first Wimbledon title.
• Tom Rinaldi contributes a feature on how the All England Lawn Tennis Club “breaks in” the six “show courts” (Centre, No. 1, No. 2, No. 3, No. 12, No. 18) by having members of the Club play a set on each the Saturday before play begins. For Centre, it’s always ladies, and we hear from this year’s lucky quartet:  Anne Clarke, Diane Oakley, Chrissie Runnicles and Nathalie Squire.
• As Serena Williams attempts for the third time to win her 22^nd Major, a Rinaldi essay explains that the pressure does not decrease over time.
• An explanation of one of the most sacred traditions in sports: why players wear white at Wimbledon.

More Choice on WatchESPN with Return of “Wimbledon Surround”

Fans on the move or wishing to watch a different match on the grounds of the All England Lawn Tennis Club can choose the match they want on WatchESPN.  WatchESPN offers the ESPN and ESPN2 telecasts, as well as all matches from the TV courts from first ball to last ball each day, with action available on demand afterwards, plus AELTC’s daily Live@Wimbledon.

“Wimbledon Surround” returned for the semifinals and championships, a separate feed with three boxes – the primary TV view, plus two more, each focusing on one player.

Championship Weekend: Gentlemen’s Doubles an All-French Affair;

Williams Sisters Seek 14th Major Title in Doubles Championship Saturday;

The Gentlemen’s and Ladies’ Doubles Championships will follow the Ladies’ Championship:

An incredible streak of 11 different men’s doubles champions (22 different players) in the last 11 Majors comes to an end as past Major winners meet:  unseeded Pierre-Hugues Herbert/Nicolas Mahut (winners of last year’s US Open) vs. top-seeded Julien Benneteau/Eduard Roger-Vasselin (who paired to win the 2014 French Open title) in the first all-French Major doubles final in the Open Era.

The Williams Sisters will be attempting to win their 14^th Major doubles championship; they are an amazing 13-0 in Major finals.  Five of the 13 trophies on their shelf came from the grass courts of Wimbledon.  Their opponents, the No. 5 seed, have each enjoyed some success in doubles on a Grand Slam stage — Yaroslava Svedova won the 2010 Wimbledon and US Open (with American Vania King) and Timea Babos reached the 2014 Wimbledon Championship (with Kristina Mladenovic of France).

• 1 Pierre-Hugues Herbert (FRA) and Nicolas Mahut (FRA) vs. Julien Benneteau (FRA) and Edouard Roger-Vasselin (FRA)
• 5 Timea Babos (HUN) and Yaroslava Svedova (KAZ) vs. Serena Williams (USA) and Venus Williams (USA)

On Sunday, July 10, the Gentlemen’s Championship – 2013 champion and No. 2 Andy Murray vs. No. 6 Milos Raonic in his first Major final – will be followed by the Mixed Doubles Championship.  By coincidence, that day will be full of championship competition from Europe as following the Wimbledon telecast, ESPN will air the final match of the UEFA European Football Championship 2016 live from Paris.

ESPN & WIMBLEDON 2016

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