Day 2 at Wimbledon will see the conclusion of the first round. That means there are 32 men’s matches on offer on Tuesday, and–as always–we here at LWOT will share our thoughts on all of them with you. We split the day’s 32 matches between eight articles. The other seven articles feature Andy Murray vs Ryan Peniston, Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Dominic Thiem, Holger Rune vs George Loffhagen, Alex de Minaur vs Kimmer Coppejans, Daniil Medvedev vs Arthur Fery, Cameron Norrie vs Tomas Machac, and Frances Tiafoe vs Yibing Wu. Predicting this set of matches are Jack Edward, Damian Kust, and Andreas Pelekis. Who do you think will advance?
Wimbledon Day 2 Men’s Predictions
Arthur Rinderknech vs Alexandre Muller
Jack:
Arthur Rinderknech has got a great serve, good hands at the net and a nice bit of firepower from the baseline. He can hold serve with ease on grass but his return game lets him down slightly. He should be considered the favorite over Alexandre Muller, but the Frenchman’s level will probably fluctuate throughout the match.
Prediction: Rinderknech in 5
Damian:
Muller’s playstyle just doesn’t seem like it would be effective on grass and he chose not to compete in the warm-up events. Rinderknech has that big serve and all-court tactics, plus he’s been playing a bit better than his results suggest.
Prediction: Rinderknech in 4
Andreas:
Rinderknech is an underrated unseeded player, who notably took Alcaraz to a third-set tiebreak in the Cinch Championships. His big serve allows him to hit countless aces each match, something that will give him confidence at Wimbledon. Look for him to cruise through this one, as Muller is more comfortable on the clay. Muller recently took home a trophy at a clay court Challenger event.
Prediction: Rinderknech in 3
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Alexei Popyrin vs Dominic Stricker
Jack:
Alexei Popyrin has a booming serve but his ground game can look a little exposed on this surface. On the other hand, Dominic Stricker is an early flat striker of the ball that already possesses a fantastic 12-7 record on grass at only 21 years old. Popyrin’s on the rise but this is a great chance for Stricker to announce himself to the tour.
Prediction: Stricker in 4
Damian:
Stricker was a bit disappointing in his Slam main draw debut, but he should fare better on grass. The qualifying run was just straight-up class with virtually no hiccups for his standards. Is this where the Swiss will have his breakthrough? The draw kind of welcomes it.
Prediction: Stricker in 5
Andreas:
Keep an eye out for Stricker over the next few years, a young Swiss star galvanized by Federer’s exciting game. This is Stricker’s first Wimbledon appearance, as he was able to grind through qualifying. Popyrin is more experienced on the grass, however, and has Grand Slam match play to his name. This could be a potential upset, but look for Popyrin to just win this.
Prediction: Popyrin in 5
Ben Shelton vs Taro Daniel
Jack:
With his big lefty serve and keenness to come forward, Ben Shelton sounds great on grass. His forehand is loaded with spin, however, and it can leave him clutching to be aggressive from the baseline. I think Shelton is still figuring his game out off of hard courts, and Taro Daniel is a good enough player to take advantage.
Prediction: Daniel in 5
Damian:
Shelton’s season since the Australian Open has been more about grabbing experience rather than getting results. That needs to change soon and Wimbledon would be a good starting point. This is a nice opportunity against Daniel, who’s just not a grass courter.
Prediction: Shelton in 4
Andreas:
It’s certainly evident that Shelton is new to the grass courts; he’s made quite a few unforced errors in some of his recent tournaments. Yet, he has the firepower to win this one against Daniel, a player who lacks distinct weapons. Shelton has been training at Wimbledon for weeks throughout the month, as he’ll be motivated in this one.
Prediction: Shelton in 4
Carlos Alcaraz vs Jeremy Chardy
Jack:
A nervy Carlos Alcaraz could have been rattled by Jeremy Chardy’s best tennis. It could have been a far more difficult first round for the World #1 but the Frenchman is just too out of form to pose any threat.
Prediction: Alcaraz in 3
Damian:
It doesn’t seem like Chardy’s singles comeback is about to pick up pace and maybe he only has a doubles future at this point. Alcaraz is the second title favorite and while you could see him being vulnerable on the slippery grass early on, just not in this matchup.
Prediction: Alcaraz in 3
Andreas:
Spare a thought for Jeremy Chardy, who likely will play his last match on Tuesday. The Frenchman reached the Top 30 in 2013, winning an ATP title in 2009 and capturing the hearts of many French fans. However, Alcaraz should keep this match short and sweet; his virtuosic game has adapted better than many would’ve expected this grass court season.
Prediction: Alcaraz in 3
Main Photo Credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports
