Less than three weeks after the conclusion of Wimbledon, grass tennis will be played once again.  London serves as host of the 2012 Summer Olympics and Wimbledon, the venue of the tennis tournament.  The downtrodden grass has been replanted, and competition will start on Saturday.

The men’s event is a draw of 64.  Round 1 will be played Saturday and Sunday.  Round 2 will be on Monday and Tuesday.  Round 3 is on Wednesday.  The quarterfinals is on Thursday.  The semis on Friday, and the finals and bronze round on Sunday.  Thus, a player could play four consecutive days (Tuesday through Friday).

The format is best of 3 sets with tiebreaks for all matches up to the semis.  The finals is best-of-5 with no tiebreaks in the fifth.

Although Wimbledon is known for its whites, players are allowed to wear color for this event.  Also, the Olympic colors of magenta adorn the walls bringing a bit more color than the dark, drab green that is normally typical of Wimbledon.

Roger Federer and Andy Murray are already at Wimbledon with a number of players expected to arrive this week to get used to the grass.  Since Wimbledon, several clay and hardcourt events have been played.  They’ll continue to be played despite a diminished field.  For example, Los Angeles is being played this week, and Washington DC next week as part of the US Open series.

With Rafael Nadal out of the tournament, Roger Federer is expected to be the favorite, but watch for Novak Djokovic, who wants to redeem himself after wilting under Federer’s pressure in the semis, and for Andy Murray, who still is desperately looking to breakthrough in the big stage.