We have all your Wimbledon predictions for day 1 including Novak Djokovic’s match against Britain’s Jack Draper. Our panelists predict all of the day 1 matches at the mecca of grass court tennis as well.
Novak Djokovic vs Jack Draper
Pablo Mosquera Hasselbaink: Djokovic got flak for having a ‘cakewalk draw’. Honestly, Draper in the first round is no joke. The former Wimbledon boys’ finalist enjoyed a breakthrough run at Queen’s and he’ll go all-out attack with no repercusions. The top seed better spend more time at the practice court that at PTPA meetings if he wants an easy win. Djokovic in 4
Damian Kust: Draper is really talented and it’s great he got this chance, but this is likely to go very wrong for him. Let’s see that matchup in a couple of years but for now, maintaining his best level against Djokovic in the best of five format is just way too much of an ask. Djokovic in 3
Marc Polmans vs Yen-Hsun Lu
Pablo: Polmans has picked up some steam after an atrocious 0-9 start to his season, making it through qualifying at Roehampton. Across the net, Lu, the modern Protected Ranking King, who has only won two matches since from 2018 onward. Sure, the Taiwanese is a former quarterfinalist at the AELTC, but that happened in 2010. Polmans in 5
Damian: Another step on Lu’s tour of collecting paychecks around the world is Wimbledon and this time, the draw is very favorable. It’s almost tempting to pick the Taiwanese but can he really stop Polmans, who got through the qualies and is a regular pro, not a recreationally competing veteran? Lu is a former quarterfinalist, but I’m not convinced. Polmans in 4
Zhizhen Zhang vs Antoine Hoang
Pablo: At first glance, these two qualifiers are quite even. However, Zhang has inspired much more confidence at Roehampton, barely dropping a set in three matches. In turn, Hoang was on the brink of elimination all three rounds. Expect the Chinese to extend his superb streak. Zhang in 4
Damian: A matchup between two qualifiers where literally anything can happen. Zhang’s campaign was more convincing, but he pretty much played three clay-court specialists. Hoang being a lot more battle-tested can help him, especially as after three days of rest fatigue shouldn’t be an issue. Hoang in 5
Oscar Otte vs Arthur Rinderknech
Pablo: Another battle of qualifiers. Otte won his three contests unscathed, whereas Rinderknech struggled quite a bit in his debut. Yet, the Frenchman’s game is more of a natural fit for grass. The Texas A&M product will have the upper hand. Rinderknech in 4
Damian: This qualifier battle has a clearer favorite. It’s a bit surprising Otte’s big game hasn’t worked that well on grass in the past but even after qualifying, he shouldn’t have much on Rinderknech’s classic game for this surface. Likely to feature tie-breaks, but the crafty Frenchman should be a lot more solid. Rinderknech in 4
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