Novak Djokovic opens his Wimbledon account against Soon-Woo Kwon on the opening day of the tournament in London. We have predictions for every day 1 match of the grass court Grand Slam including Stan Wawrinka, John Isner’s and Andy Murray’s matches.
Novak Djokovic vs Soon-Woo Kwon
Damian Kust: They played once before in Belgrade and while on a faster and slicker court Soon-Woo Kwon should be able to keep the score at least a tiny bit closer, there’s just not much the South Korean can do to hurt Novak Djokovic. It’s an easy opener for the top seed. Djokovic in 3
Shane Black: Novak Djokovic is hungrier than ever to win Grand Slam #21. He dominated Kwon 6-3 6-1 14 months ago and I expect him to cruise to a straight-set victory once again. Djokovic in 3
Daniel Altmaier vs Mikael Ymer
Damian: Daniel Altmaier could end up being a bit better than it seems on grass, particularly as the German’s improved his serve a lot in recent years. He’s been a factor on hard courts already and he’ll find his way on the lawn as well. Altmaier in 4
Shane: Neither Daniel Altmaier nor Mikael Ymer have had much success on the grass through the early stages of their careers. With that said, Altmaier did make the quarterfinals in Mallorca in the week leading up to Wimbledon. The German seems to have found some footing on the grass and plays aggressive enough to get this win. Altmaier in 4
Jaume Munar vs Thiago Monteiro
Damian: Which one of these clay specialists is better suited to grass? Probably Thiago Monteiro, whose lefty serve looked fairly dangerous at Eastbourne. He also doesn’t expect much of himself on this surface, which helps him execute his game freely. Monteiro in 4
Shane: Both Jaume Munar and Thiago Monteiro are clay-court specialists. With that said, Monteiro did advance through qualifying and past Ugo Humbert last week in Eastbourne. Munar is 0-9 in his career on the grass. I have no reason to believe that changes this week. Monteiro in 4
Federico Coria vs Jiri Vesely
Damian: Federico Coria will be coming to Wimbledon straight after a clay final at Milan on Sunday. The Argentinian doesn’t prioritize grass (and rightfully so). Jiri Vesely should be able to get enough free points on serve to make it quite comfortable. Vesely in 3
Shane: Jiri Vesely is a very strong grass-court player. He has made it to at least Round 3 of Wimbledon in four of the seven times he has competed. Federico Coria, on the other hand, is 0-3 in his career on the grass. Vesely should be able to control this match from the baseline. Vesely in 4
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