LONDON, July 1. /TASS/. The third Grand Slam tennis tournament this season, Wimbledon, kicks off in London on Monday.

Wimbledon is one of the oldest and most prestigious tournaments in the world, it has been held since 1877. The competition takes place on grass, all players must wear white during the matches. The prize fund stands at $63 million this year. Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz and Czechia’s Marketa Vondrousova will defense their winner titles.

Russian players will compete in neutral status. In 2022, they were not allowed to participate over the events in Ukraine, after which Wimbledon was fined. In 2023, Russian athletes were allowed to participate, but they had to sign a declaration of neutrality. This year, players from Russia and Belarus will participate under the same conditions. The spectators are also banned from bringing flags of these countries.

The tournament will end on July 14.