Manic Monday at Wimbledon on the bottom half of the men’s round of 16 features Rafael Nadal, Kei Nishikori, Juan Martin Del Potro, and Novak Djokovic all in action as part of a loaded section. Our panelists offer up their previews and predictions. You can check out our predictions on the remaining Men’s round of 16 matches including Gael Monfils vs Kevin Anderson by clicking here.
Karen Khachanov vs Novak Djokovic
Steen Kirby: Khachanov should be proud of his performance to reach this stage, but Djokovic has already overcome adversity to win in 4 sets against Kyle Edmund the previous round. Djokovic is rounding into form in a major way and I don’t see Khachanov being able to keep up. Djokovic in 3
Yesh Ginsburg: Djokovic wasn’t perfect against Kyle Edmund, and Khachanov has a similar game. The Russian isn’t quite as comfortable on the grass as the Brit was, though. Djokovic in 3
Lukas Weese: Three-time Wimbledon Champ Novak Djokovic is trying to book a ticket into the quarterfinal for the first time since 2015 by facing off against Karen Khachanov of Russia. Khachanov had to win a five set battle over Frances Tiafoe, where he won 65% of his service points in the fifth set. Despite the impressive win, the Russian may not have a lot of energy in the tank to compete against Djokovic. Novak is starting to get back to that form when he won multiple Grand Slam tournaments, producing 41 winners and 15 unforced errors in his last match. I see Djokovic winning fairly easily to advance to the quarterfinals. Djokovic in 3
Kei Nishikori vs Ernests Gulbis
Steen: This should be a cracking contest. Gulbis could resurrect his career if he wins this after qualifying and winning three straight 5 set contests. Nishikori should be far fresher though and I don’t think Gulbis will be able to maintain a high level throughout to win this one. Nishikori in 5
Yesh: Is Ernests Gulbis finally playing to the level that we all expected so long ago? Maybe. Even if not, though, he looks focused–and that should be enough to get by Nishikori on grass. Gulbis in 5
Lukas: This is one of the most intriguing matches in the Round of 16. Kei Nishikori is coming off a straight set victory over Nick Kyrigos, where he converted 77% of his service points and converted four of his eight break chances. Ernests Gulbis survived a five set thriller over Alexander Zverev. Despite Gulbis winning eight of his last nine matches on grass, I see Nishikori using his serve and movement and defensive skills to over match Gulbis. Kei has won twice over Gulbis in his career and I think he will win again to advance to the quarterfinals. Nishikori in 4
Juan Martin Del Potro vs Gilles Simon
Steen; Del Potro is in amazing form and has been flying under the radar at Wimbledon. He’s a good grass court player and though Simon is effective defensively, Del Potro has far too complete of a game to lose this one. Del Potro in 3
Yesh: Gilles Simon has never been great on grass, and his returning is no longer what it once was. He stands no chance against the Del Potro serve. Del Potro in 3
Lukas: Juan Martin Del Potro is taking on Gilles Simon for the eighth time in their respective careers for a spot in the quarterfinal. Del Potro is coming off a straight set victory over Benoit Paire, winning 80% of his first serve points. He has won 23 of his last 28 sets played and has demonstrated that his serve and groundstrokes are both working at a high level. Simon has not dropped a set this Wimbledon tournament and has a great deal of confidence coming into this match. While it will be entertaining and close, I think Del Potro’s forehand and groundstrokes are too dominant for Simon, punching himself a ticket to the quarterfinals. Del Potro in 4
Jiri Vesely vs Rafael Nadal
Steen: A bit surprisingly Nadal has avoided any problems on grass through the first week and Vesely doesn’t present that difficult of a matchup. Even with this being Nadal’s worst Grand Slam, he’s playing well right now and should keep things contained to secure a quarterfinal berth. Nadal in 3
Yesh: Last round I picked Nadal to lose. That was silly. De Minaur has the confidence and fight, but he doesn’t have the power to hit through Nadal. Vesely does have that power. Nadal hasn’t reached a Wimbledon quarterfinal since 2011, and I expect that trend to continue here. Vesely in 4
Lukas: Rafael Nadal is back in the 4th round of Wimbledon, this time taking on Jiri Vesely of the Czech Republic. This is a complete mismatch of experience and level of play. In his last match, Nadal won 75% of his total service points and converted five on his 12 break point chances. Vesely is coming off a four set victory of Italian Fabio Fognini. He’s getting a ton of free points on his serve, but is struggling with his unforced errors. Nadal will power his way through to his first Wimbledon quarterfinal since 2011. Nadal in 3
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