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Wimbledon 2021: How to watch, schedule, draw, bracket, tennis scores and more

Wimbledon returned this year on ESPN after the oldest tennis tournament in the world was canceled last year amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

We will have information about the results, key players and big storylines over the course of the Grand Slam, from the time the draw is released to the time champions are crowned.

How to watch Wimbledon

The entire tournament will be broadcast on the ESPN family of networks, as well as on ESPN+ and the ESPN App.

The women's championship, featuring Ash Barty and Karolina Pliskova, will be broadcast on Saturday at 9 a.m. on ESPN, while the men's championship will be broadcast at 9 a.m. on Sunday.

Thursday at Wimbledon

Barty and Pliskova clinched their spots in the women's singles championship. Barty, the tournament's top seed, defeated three-time Grand Slam champion Angelique Kerber 6-3, 7-6 (3). The 25-year-old Barty is in search of her second Grand Slam title.

To do that, she will need to defeat No. 8 seed Pliskova, who beat second-seeded Aryna Sabalenka 5-7, 6-4, 6-4. Pliskova, 29, has yet to win a major championship. She is appearing in her first Grand Slam final since the 2016 US Open.

What's on tap for Friday at Wimbledon

Top seed Novak Djokovic is two matches away from his 20th Grand Slam singles title, which would tie Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal for the most by a men's player. First up, he faces 22-year-old Canadian Denis Shapovalov.

In the other men's semifinal, seventh-seeded Matteo Berrettini takes on No. 14 seed Hubert Hurkacz, with both trying to reach their first major final.

What happened Wednesday at Wimbledon

The men's quarterfinals got underway with No. 1 Novak Djokovic advancing to the semifinals with a straight-sets win against Marton Fucsovics 6-3, 6-4, 6-4. No. 14 Hubert Hurkacz stunned No. 6 Roger Federer in straight sets 6-3, 7-6, 6-0 to advance. On Court 1, No. 10 Denis Shapovalov of Canada outlasted 25th-seeded Karen Khachanov 6-4, 3-6, 5-7, 6-1, 6-4. But fellow Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime, seeded 16th, fell to No. 7 Matteo Berrettini in the last quarterfinal of the day 6-3, 5-7, 7-5, 6-3.

What happened Tuesday at Wimbledon

The women's semifinals are set after world No. 1 Ash Barty routed fellow Australian Ajla Tomljanovic 6-1, 6-3 and No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka ended the history-making run of Tunisia's Ons Jabeur 6-4, 6-3. Barty will play Angelique Kerber, a 6-2, 6-3 winner over Karolina Muchova in the semifinals while Sabalenka faces Karolina Pliskova in the other semifinal. Pliskova beat Viktorija Golubic 6-2, 6-2 in Tuesday's quarterfinal.

On the men's side, Daniil Medvedev was leading Hubert Hurkacz two sets to one when Monday's fourth-round match was postponed. When it resumed Tuesday, Hurkacz rebounded to oust the world No. 2 in five sets.

What happened Monday at Wimbledon

Novak Djokovic reached his 50th Grand Slam quarterfinal with a straight-sets win over Cristian Garin on Monday. Sixth-seeded Roger Federer beat Lorenzo Sonego in straight sets to move to the quarterfinals.

Also on the men's side, Karen Khachanov defeated American Sebastian Korda in a five-set thriller 3-6, 6-4, 6-3, 5-7, 10-8.

While the top two seeds in the women's draw, Ashleigh Barty and Aryna Sabalenka, won their fourth-round matches, seventh-seeded Iga Swiatek lost to 21st-seeded Ons Jabeur in three sets.

American Coco Gauff lost to 2018 Wimbledon winner Angelique Kerber, meaning no American man or woman reached the quarterfinal.

What are the Wimbledon storylines?

Novak Djokovic, who is coming off wins at the Australian Open in February and French Open in June, is seeking his sixth Wimbledon title. If he wins the tournament, he would tie Federer and Rafael Nadal for the most major championships in men's tennis history.

Federer, 39, who withdrew from the French Open before the fourth round, is in search of his ninth Wimbledon championship. Nadal, meanwhile, withdrew from Wimbledon and the Olympics, saying he was "listening to my body" so he could "prolong my career and continue to do what makes me happy."

Nadal is not the only big-name player to pull out of Wimbledon. Naomi Osaka, the second-ranked women's player, withdrew from the tournament in part to prepare for the Tokyo Olympics. Defending women's singles champion Simona Halep, the world No. 3, withdrew early Friday with a calf injury, following world No. 5 Dominic Thiem pulling out of Wimbledon due to a right wrist injury a day earlier.

The women's field is filled with parity, as seven different women have won the past eight majors. Barty, whose only Grand Slam was the 2019 French Open, had not advanced past the fourth round at Wimbledon in her career.

Will there be fans at Wimbledon?

Yes, fans are permitted at this year's tournament. Both singles finals will allow full crowds at Centre Court, making it the first outdoor sporting event in the United Kingdom to have full capacity since the pandemic began. Capacity will be 50% until the finals, which will be 100%.

The All England Club said fans must wear face coverings at the venue grounds but will not be required to wear masks and maintain social distancing when seated. Spectators will also need to present proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test within 48 hours of attending.