Play is underway in ideal conditions on the opening day of Wimbledon

LONDON (AP) — Play on the outside courts is underway in the 139th edition of Wimbledon.

Among the early matches on the opening day of the grass-court Grand Slam: Fourth-seeded Jessica Pegula was playing Darja Vidmanova on No. 2 Court; Rafael Jodar was playing Felix Gill on No. 3 Court; and French Open finalist Maja Chwalinska was playing Mananchaya Sawangkaew on Court 12.

Later Monday, defending champion Jannik Sinner was to open play on Centre Court against Miomir Kecmanovic, followed by top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka against Teodora Kostovic and seven-time champion Novak Djokovic against Wu Yibing.

Conditions were ideal with sunny skies and the temperature 20 degrees Celsius (68 Fahrenheit) and forecast to rise only to 24 C (75 F).

Serena Williams will play her opening match on Tuesday against 20-year-old Maya Joint of Australia — marking the first time she competes in singles in nearly four years. Then she’ll play doubles with older sister Venus Williams later in the week.

Wimbledon was first held in 1877.

AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis

Denis Shapovalov of Canada looks on during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta of Spain in the first round men's singles match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Monday, June 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Maja Smiejkowska)

Learner Tien of the United States returns the ball to Dalibor Svrcina of Czech Republic in their first round men's singles match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Monday, June 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

Pablo Carreno Busta of Spain returns the ball to Denis Shapovalov of Canada in their first round men's singles match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Monday, June 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Maja Smiejkowska)

Jessica Pegula of the United States returns to Darja Vidmanova of Czech Republic during the women's singles match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Monday, June 29, 2026.(AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Jessica Pegula of the United States returns to Darja Vidmanova of Czech Republic during the women's singles match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Monday, June 29, 2026.(AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Comcast is planning to split itself into two separate publicly traded companies by spinning off NBCUniversal and Sky.

The company said Monday that its board and management team think each company will be better positioned to pursue its own strategic priorities, invest for growth and create long-term shareholder value as independent entities.

Media and entertainment company NBCUniversal includes a theme parks division, Universal film and television studios, NBC and Telemundo networks, Peacock, and Bravo. Its portfolio will now European media business Sky.

Comcast, based in Philadelphia, will continue providing internet services to residential and business customers.

Comcast co-CEO Mike Cavanagh will become the CEO of NBCUniversal. Comcast’s former Chief Financial Officer Michael Angelakis will become the CEO of Comcast, following completion of the separation. In the interim, he will serve as a strategic adviser.

Comcast Chairman and co-CEO Brian Roberts will continue to be actively involved in the leadership of Comcast and NBCUniversal, working in partnership with the CEOs of both companies.

“Comcast will continue to build on its leadership in connectivity, while NBCUniversal, together with Sky, will have the scale, brands, content and financial resources to compete as a premier global media and entertainment company,” Cavanagh said in a statement.

Once the transaction is complete, Comcast shareholders will own shares in both Comcast and NBCUniversal. The separation is expected to be completed in about a year. It still needs final approval from Comcast's board and is subject to regulatory approvals.

Comcast expects to keep a stake of up to 19.9% ownership position in NBCUniversal for up to one year after the spinoff is complete.

In premarket trading, Comcast shares surged 24%.

FILE- A Comcast truck is shown on Jan. 24, 2019, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)