The third slam of the season is upon us as 128 men descend upon London, England, for the 2024 Wimbledon Championships. The All England Club draw has given us some scintillating first-round matchups, including Carlos Alcaraz vs Mark Lajal. As always, we at LWOT have our roundtable predictions for all the Wimbledon action. Ateet Shrivastava, Glenys Furness, and Shane Black offer their insights.
Wimbledon Men’s Day 1 Predictions
Alexander Bublik vs Jakub Mensik
Ateet
Grass is the best surface of Bublik but he hasn’t played to his full potential yet and will be looking to make a run at the biggest stage. Jakub Mensik is a great prospect and has already made his mark in his short career. He’s had some injury issues in the last couple of months which has slowed his progress. If Bublik plays at his best then he should be the favourite to win this match.
Prediction: Bublik in 4
Glenys
Mensik is coming into Wimbledon off the back of a quarter final in Mallorca. In the other two grass court events the Czech lost in the first round and didn’t qualify. Bublik made the quarter final in Stuttgart, the second round in Halle and lost in the first round in Eastbourne. Bublik made the fourth round last season so will want to at least match that.
Prediction: Bublik in 5
Shane
This should be an incredible first round match between a rising star in Mensik and a potential draw disruptor in Bublik. Bublik played great tennis at this event last season, but his lack of consistency leaves something to be desired. Mensik will push him, but I trust the veteran in a deciding set.
Prediction: Bublik in 5
Aleksandar Vukic vs Sebastian Ofner
Ateet
Aleksandar Vukic is having a brilliant grass season with a quarterfinal in Den Bosch and an even better run to the semifinal in Eastbourne last week. He has a good serve and plays attacking tennis. Sebastian Ofner is coming off a final in Mallorca which will give him a lot of confidence going into this match. This can be anyone’s match but I am leaning slightly towards the Austrian.
Prediction: Ofner in 5
Glenys
Ofner is coming into Wimbledon with a bit of an up and down grass court season. First round losses in Stuttgart & Halle, but the Austrian made the final in Mallorca. Vukic made the quarter final in Holland, didn’t qualify for Queens but made the semi final in Eastbourne. This will be a cracking match and is very tricky to call.
Prediction: Ofner in 4
Shane
Both Vukic and Ofner have had solid lead-ups to the Championships at Wimbledon and should come into this match with a lot of confidence. I expect a five-set battle, but I like Ofner’s variety to win out.
Prediction: Ofner in 4
Daniel Altmaier vs Arthur Fery
Ateet
Altmaier was playing challengers on clay instead of playing on grass which tells a lot about his priority for grass. He has never won a match in Wimbledon but has a good first-round opponent. Arthur Fery has been given a wild card to play in his first Grand Slam match. It would be a great moment for the young Fery. Altmaier will back himself to win this.
Prediction: Altmaier in 4
Glenys
Altmaier is coming in with no official grass court tournaments. The German made the final of a clay court challenger a couple of weeks ago. Brit Fery, however, has played multiple events in the lead in to the home grand slam. The crowd will favour the Brit.
Prediction: Fery in 3
Shane
Altmaier has little experience on grass and did not play any grass-court lead-up events. However, Fery is ranked out of the top 200 and has only played two tour-level matches in his career. The British crowd will get behind the 21-year-old, but Altmaier’s experience should pay off.
Prediction: Altmaier in 4
Carlos Alcaraz vs Mark Lajal
Ateet
Unlike last year, Carlos Alcaraz has got a good draw it would be a big upset if he loses before the semifinals. He lost his match to Jack Draper in Queen’s but that shouldn’t bother him much and he will be ready to defend his title. Mark Lajal put in a great performance in qualifying but Alcaraz is on a whole different level.
Prediction: Alcaraz in 3
Glenys
Alcaraz is the defending Champion and third seed. His build up hasn’t been the best. Defeated in the second round at Queens by British #1 Jack Draper in straight sets. Lajal failed to qualify for Surbiton & Nottingham, but has done much better here. The Estonian could prove a tricky prospect for the defending champion.
Prediction: Alcaraz in 4
Shane
Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz won just a single grass-court match in his Wimbledon lead-up. That said, he should be able to find his form against Lajal in the first round. The 21-year-old Estonian has limited grass-court experience and does not have the tools to compete with the Spaniard.
Prediction: Alcaraz in 3
Main Photo Credit: Susan Mullane – USA TODAY Sports
