The draw of the 136th edition of Wimbledon was released on Friday. First-round matches are all set with four-time defending champion Novak Djokovic opening up play on Center Court on Monday against Argentina’s Pedro Cachin
Djokovic won his 23rd Grand Slam singles title at last month’s French Open, breaking a two-man tie with his great rival Rafael Nadal, and stands alone on the mountain as the greatest male player in history.
The Serbian star isn’t done just yet as he eyes two more records at the Championships in the next fortnight. Djokovic could tie Roger Federer for the most Wimbledon singles titles of any man. Simultaneously, he could also match Margaret Court’s record Grand Slam title count of 24.
Despite taking a month-long break from tennis, Djokovic remains the clear-cut favorite to win his eighth Wimbledon. On that note, let us delve into his potential path to the title.
It's almost time for @wimbledon! The full 2023 Men's Singles draw 👀#wimbledon pic.twitter.com/upZvYBFK7Z
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Novak Djokovic’s Possible Path to the Title
First round: Pedro Cachin
Djokovic will open up play on Center Court on Monday when he takes on Argentina’s Pedro Cachin. The two have never faced off at any level. Cachin is a renowned clay specialist and hardly plays on grass. His solitary win on the lawn came in the qualifying rounds at last year’s Wimbledon. The indications are that Djokovic will steamroll past the world #67.
Second round: Brandon Nakashima/Jordan Thompson
With Djokovic expected to win his opening match quite routinely, he will face one of Brandon Nakashima or Jordan Thomspon in the second round. Djokovic and Nakashima practiced together during the week and the pair could lock horns for the first time in a match. However, Nakashima will have to take down an in-form Jordan Thomspon who reached the final in Den Bosch in one of the tuneup events. Either way, Djokovic wouldn’t be fussed in facing either of these unseeded men in the slightest.
Third Round: Emil Ruusuvuori
Djokovic could renew a long-time rivalry with Swiss one-hander Stan Wawrinka in the third round. Wawrinka has defeated Djokovic multiple times in a grand slam setting. But the three-time Major winner has a tricky opener to navigate. He plays big-hitting Emil Ruusuvuori in his first match since a second-round defeat at the French Open.
Ruusuvuori has tallied some quality wins on grass even though he is staring at a three-match losing streak coming to Wimbledon. The Finn is the favorite not just to beat Wawrinka, but to emerge unscathed in this section of the draw that could see him play Tomas Martin Etcheverry in the second round. The reward for reaching the third round is a meeting against Djokovic – the four-time defending champion. That’s where Ruusuvuori’s run will almost certainly come to a screeching halt.
Fourth Round: Hubert Hurkacz/John Isner
Going by seeds, Djokovic could face Hubert Hurkacz or Lorenzo Musetti in the fourth round. Djokovic and Hurkacz have previously clashed at SW19 in 2019. Djokovic emerged victorious in four sets. The Pole is a whopping 5-0 in the head-to-head and he arrives at this year’s tournament in poor form. In the event Hurkacz doesn’t make it to the fourth round, then one of Lorenzo Musetti or John Isner could be Djokovic’s projected opponent in Middle Sunday. Given Isner’s penchant for grass, it is highly likely he’ll be the man waiting on the wings should Hurkacz falter.
Quarterfinal: Andrey Rublev/Alexander Bublik
Djokovic’s first major test will come in the quarterfinals. There is a slim chance he could play Nick Kyrgios setting up a redux of last year’s final where Djokovic won in four tight sets. But questions linger on the Australian’s dodgy knee. Kyrgios has a seemingly treacherous path in the third round, where Andrey Rublev could be looming big. In-form Alexander Bublik is a possible candidate to face Djokovic in the quarterfinals, and it could very well come down to a fourth-round shootout between Rublev and Bublik for the right to face Djokovic.
Semifinal: Jannik Sinner/Taylor Fritz
We might see a French Open final rematch against Casper Ruud who is the highest-seeded player Djokovic can face in the semifinal. However, the Norwegian hasn’t played a match since Paris and has a 4-7 lifetime record on grass. Ruud might not even make it to the second week, with his section of the draw engraved with an upset alert.
That leaves the door open for the other seeds to take advantage. Jannik Sinner and Taylor Fritz are the most likely to make it to the second week. Sinner and Fritz are projected to meet in the fourth round, with the winner facing one of Ruud, Bautista Agut, or Denis Shapovalov in the last eight.
Interestingly, Sinner and Djokovic met at last year’s edition where the young Italian led by two sets to love in their quarterfinal bout before the Serb prevailed in five. Should a rematch materialize, Djokovic will brace himself for another humdinger.
Final: Carlos Alcaraz/Daniil Medvedev
The news of Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz landing in opposite halves of the draw was definite since they both occupy the top two seeds. And that could mean their immediate sequel from their anticlimactic French Open semifinal could happen in this year’s showpiece at Wimbledon. And that would be a fitting conclusion to the grass-court swing.
Alcaraz, however, has a projected semifinal against Daniil Medvedev to ponder. Medvedev dropped just seven games when they met at the 2021 Wimbledon Championships, but it is also pertinent to note, Alcaraz has made striking progress since and arrives at SW19 hot on the heels of his first grass court title at Queen’s.
Medvedev also has a seemingly tricky path to make it to the semis. He could meet his Rosmalen conqueror Adrian Mannarino as early as the second round. The likes of Cameron Norrie, Tommy Paul, and Sebastian Korda also fill Medvedev’s section of the draw. The Russian is a meager 2-2 at grand slams this season, so it would be a minor shock if he survived that minefield.
That leaves world #1 Alcaraz as Djokovic’s final hurdle and a record-tying eighth Wimbledon title.
Main photo credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports
