Roger Federer begins his Wimbledon 2019 journey against Lloyd Harris, while Denis Shapovalov looks to find form against Ricardas Berankis. Harsh Bhoot, Steen Kirby, and Yesh Ginsburg offer up their predictions. (And don’t worry, we have predictions for three other sets of matches too. One features Rafael Nadal vs Yuichi Sugita, the second highlights Sam Querrey vs Dominic Thiem, and the third headlines Jo-Wilfried Tsonga vs Bernard Tomic.)
Roger Federer vs Lloyd Harris
Harsh: Federer couldn’t have asked for a better draw with no major threats in the opening week. His first round opponent Lloyd Harris a young South African has no form to bank on whatsoever heading into this match. Harris failed to qualify at both Halle and at Eastbourne. It should be an easy breezy win for Roger. Federer in 3
Yesh: Federer’s quest for a ninth Wimbledon title starts out with a pretty easy draw, no offense to Lloyd Harris. Federer in 3
Steen: Lloyd Harris will be happy to be making Grand Slam main draws somewhat regularly now but facing Federer at Wimbledon is a (nearly) impossible task. Federer has of course lost in the early rounds of this tournament before, but he’s playing well and there’s nothing in Harris game that suggests he can pull off an upset for the ages. Federer in 3
Christian Garin vs Andrey Rublev
Harsh: Cristian Garin is enjoying a great 2019 winning two titles till date although both were on clay. He reached the quarters at Rosmalen Open and will be fancying his chances against Rublev. The Russian has waned off since his promising start on the ATP Tour. Now ranked #78, Rublev would’ve liked an easier first round. Garin in 3
Yesh: Garin is a rising youngster, and so is Andrey Rublev. Neither has too much experience on grass, though Rublev has the more powerful game. On clay I’d go with Garin, but it’s Rublev for me here. Rublev in 4
Steen: I want to pick Rublev but his form is poor and Garin has shown enough this year to suggest he’ll scratch through in what is truly a 50/50 contest to reach the second round. Garin in 5
Denis Shapovalov vs Ricardas Berankis
Harsh: The Canadian Shapovalov would’ve liked a better 2019, having yet to make a final in any event. But he couldn’t have asked for a better first round matchup. Berankis hardly possesses the power to outhit Shapovalov and is a shambolic 3-14 win-loss on grass over his career. Reckon it won’t be straightforward though. Shapovalov in 4
Yesh: Shapovalov is in a little bit of free-fall right now, but he likes playing on grass. He gets to face consistent journeyman Berankis. That’s not a bad opponent to start your Wimbledon campaign against. Shapovalov in 4
Steen: Berankis was a promising young gun who never reached the top level in his career (and likely never will) however he’s made a living for himself making slam main draws like this. Shapovalov is promising, but he’s struggling right now and could slip up here. I’ll go with the Canadian but an upset wouldn’t shock me. Shapovalov in 5
Steve Johnson vs Albert Ramos
Harsh: Steve Johnson probably likes Wimbledon the best as grass is more tailored to his first strike tennis. Two of his four titles have come on grass although his form in 2019 hasn’t been good. Ramos-Vinolas a clay court specialist, with his serve will definitely find it tough to get by Johnson. Johnson in 4
Yesh: Steve Johnson once looked like a solid top player for American tennis. He never quite cracked the Top 20, but he spent a few seasons consistently showing solid results on big stages. He’s slipped a little since then, but Albert Ramos is a good opponent to face on grass. Johnson in 4
Steen: Ramos is poor on this surface, and despite Johnson’s struggles this year, he should gain some confidence with an opening round win. Johnson in 3
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