Novak Djokovic would have been favourite for the 2021 Wimbledon title regardless, but with two of his traditionally biggest rivals still feeling their way back from long-term injuries and the third absent, the defending champion appears to have an even more direct route to his 20th Grand Slam trophy.
The world No 1 is aiming for a third successive Wimbledon title – and sixth overall – when he gets his campaign under way on Monday against British teenage wildcard Jack Draper.
Djokovic's chief challenges at the All England Club have in the past come from record eight-time champion Roger Federer and two-time winners Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray.
Federer, 39, has only played a handful of matches since twice undergoing knee surgery, while 34-year-old Murray's continued fitness struggles regarding his hip have been well-documented. Nadal, meanwhile, has opted to skip Wimbledon following his French Open semi-final defeat to Djokovic earlier this month.
It may then fall on the raft of younger contenders – including world No 2 Daniil Medvedev, French Open finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas, and sixth-ranked Alexander Zverev – to prevent Djokovic from moving level with Federer and Nadal on 20 major titles.
Ominously for the men's draw, though, Djokovic has warned that he is ready to peak at Wimbledon, having made the decision to be more selective with his schedule in order to be at his best for the majors.
"Grand Slams are the biggest motivation I have right now at this stage of my career... I want to try to make the most out of Grand Slams as I possibly can. I'm trying to peak at the majors," said Djokovic, who is aiming to add a third major title of the season following wins at the Australian Open and Roland Garros.
"Nowadays I have to adjust my schedule a bit more with the quality time with family, reducing the number of tournaments, trying to adjust everything so that I could be at my top level on slams.
"That's how my last year and a half looked like, and that's how probably the rest of my career will look like in terms of scheduling the tournaments."
Djokovic's 2019 Wimbledon triumph was achieved after an extraordinary final, with the Serb beating Federer 13-12 in the fifth set.
Federer returns to the grass court Grand Slam under considerably lower external expectations given his limited time on court this season and second round exit in the tune-up event in Halle, where he is an 11-time champion.
However, the Swiss is confident that if he can build some momentum, he can be in the title picture.
"I think I got to take the positives out of these last few weeks that I'm actually here at Wimbledon right now and I have a chance," said Federer, whose eight Wimbledon titles make him the tournament's greatest ever male player.
"I know if I get rolling, I get into the second week, which is the goal here right now, that I get stronger and stronger as every match goes by, I believe it's very much possible.
"I come here feeling mentally strong rather with the last set I played in Halle, which was clearly not the standard I like."
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Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Pox that threatens the Middle East's native species
Camelpox
Caused by a virus related to the one that causes human smallpox, camelpox typically causes fever, swelling of lymph nodes and skin lesions in camels aged over three, but the animal usually recovers after a month or so. Younger animals may develop a more acute form that causes internal lesions and diarrhoea, and is often fatal, especially when secondary infections result. It is found across the Middle East as well as in parts of Asia, Africa, Russia and India.
Falconpox
Falconpox can cause a variety of types of lesions, which can affect, for example, the eyelids, feet and the areas above and below the beak. It is a problem among captive falcons and is one of many types of avian pox or avipox diseases that together affect dozens of bird species across the world. Among the other forms are pigeonpox, turkeypox, starlingpox and canarypox. Avipox viruses are spread by mosquitoes and direct bird-to-bird contact.
Houbarapox
Houbarapox is, like falconpox, one of the many forms of avipox diseases. It exists in various forms, with a type that causes skin lesions being least likely to result in death. Other forms cause more severe lesions, including internal lesions, and are more likely to kill the bird, often because secondary infections develop. This summer the CVRL reported an outbreak of pox in houbaras after rains in spring led to an increase in mosquito numbers.
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The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
The five pillars of Islam
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Scores
Oman 109-3 in 18.4 overs (Aqib Ilyas 45 not out, Aamir Kaleem 27) beat UAE 108-9 in 20 overs (Usman 27, Mustafa 24, Fayyaz 3-16, Bilal 3-23)
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
