By Elma Aksalic
Day One of the 2025 Wimbledon Championships is well underway, bringing together sports stars across the board for the annual tennis tournament.
Former English soccer player David Beckham and Russian tennis star Maria Yuryevna Sharapova were all smiles at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on June 30 in Wimbledon, London.
“Let the (Wimbledon) games begin,” Sharapova, 38, captioned a photo of the two on Instagram.
Beckham’s appearance came as a surprise to fans after the 50-year-old was hospitalized last week for wrist surgery.
The surgery was reportedly to remove a screw from a wrist injury during a 2003 game, which left him in debilitating pain.
Meanwhile, Sharapova’s appearance marked a full-circle moment for the athlete, who in 2004 defeated two-time defending champion Serena Williams and earned the ladies singles tennis title at just 17 years old. Following her Wimbledon success, Sharapova was the highest-paid female athlete for 11 consecutive years.
In 2020, the five-time Grand Slam champion retired at 32.
Other recognizable faces on the grounds were Oscar-winning actor Eddie Redmayne, actress Jessica Alba, musician Evan Ross (son of singer Diana Ross) and more.
First established in 1877, Wimbledon is considered the world’s oldest tennis tournament and one of the four Grand Slam events, including the U.S. Open, Australian Open and French Open.
According to the official schedule, the 14-day event runs through July 13 and features the biggest names in tennis competing through single-elimination knockout rounds in hopes of reaching the finals.
The five highly anticipated main events are the men’s singles and doubles, women’s singles and doubles, and mixed doubles.
Quarterfinals for the men’s and women’s singles and doubles will be held on July 8 and 9, with semifinals set to follow the day after.
Also featured are four juniors competitions for boys and girls ages 14 and under, along with wheelchair competitors and invitational tournaments.
Among the top seeds for men’s singles include Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, Alexander Zverev, Jack Draper, Taylor Fritz, and Novak Djokovic.
Some of the top female competitors are Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula, Jasmine Paolini, Qinwen Zheng, and Madison Keys.
Last year, defending champion Alcaraz defeated Djokovic in the men’s singles final, a rematch of 2023, and Barbora Krejčíková took home the women’s singles title against Jasmine Paolini in the finale.
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