Day 2 at the Wimbledon Championships marks the start of the second half of the draw, as players begin their main draw campaigns. Seven-time champion Novak Djokovic gets his tournament underway against Frenchman Alexandre Muller. Elsewhere, we have prediction articles featuring Jannik Sinner vs Luca Nardi, Dan Evans vs Jay Clarke, Tommy Paul vs Johannus Monday, Lorenzo Musetti vs Nikoloz Basilashvili, Gael Monfils vs Ugo Humbert, Jack Draper vs Sebastian Baez, and Ben Shelton vs Alex Bolt. But who will advance to the second round?
Wimbledon Day 2 Men’s Predictions
Brandon Nakashima vs Yunchaokete Bu
Ilemona
Bu’s been quietly rising, and his steady baseline game could test Nakashima’s patience. Both play a clean style, so this might come down to who handles the surface better. Could be tighter than expected.
Prediction: Nakashima in 3
Damian
Bu is still looking for his first Grand Slam main draw win, but looking at this draw it might not happen for him here either. He’s lost five matches in a row (including two on grass) and is just running into a player that’s usually not vulnerable to upsets. Nakashima’s not a world-beater, but he brings quality to the court consistently.
Prediction: Nakashima in 4
Shane
Nakashima has a game that suits the grass and has had ATP success on the surface. Bu, on the other hand, is still searching for his first Slam match win. Do not be surprised if Nakashima finds himself in the second week.
Prediction: Nakashima in 3
Tomas Martin Etcheverry vs Jack Pinnington Jones
Ilemona
Pinnington Jones has the crowd and the surface on his side. Etcheverry’s a tough out, but grass isn’t his comfort zone. If the Brit starts well, this could open up nicely for him.
Prediction: Pennington Jones in 5
Damian
Could be an underrated match to watch in the opening round with Etcheverry suddenly playing quite decent this grass court swing and Pinnington Jones being one of Great Britain’s college gems. His Wimbledon debut last year was very nervy in the qualifying, so maybe Etcheverry gets the slight nod for his experience alone.
Prediction: Etcheverry in 5
Shane
Pinnington Jones will certainly have the backing of the home crowd. His game is also suited to the grass. Etcheverry has shown promise on the grass and has much more of a tour pedigree, but I like the young Brit to power his way into Round 2.
Prediction: Pinnington Jones in 4
Tomas Machac vs Damir Dzumhur
Ilemona
Machac has been building momentum this season, but Zhumhur’s got the experience to make it tricky. Expect a few tight sets and momentum swings. It’s one of those matchups that could sneak into a fifth.
Prediction: Machac in 4
Damian
Machac was a retirement machine during the clay season, but his performance in Halle was much better than that. Maybe on a less physical surface he can start firing again. If he does, this is a match against an uncomfortable but still relatively weak opponent, compared to the average level of the entire draw.
Prediction: Machac in 4
Shane
If Machac can stay healthy, I like this game to make a run in this tournament. He has a solid grass-court game, as shown by his performance in Halle.
Prediction: Machac in 4
Novak Djokovic vs Alexandre Muller
Ilemona
It’s a massive moment for Muller, and he’s got nothing to lose. He’ll need to swing freely and serve big, but sustaining that across five sets is a tall order. Still, a good start could make things fun early on.
Prediction: Djokovic in 3
Damian
Djokovic still peaks for the Slams, that much is clear. At Wimbledon his age doesn’t impact the tennis he can play as much either, developments to his serve and aggression from the last few years allow him to keep the points short. We’ll see how he competes against the top guys, but he’ll likely reach the stage where he can face them.
Prediction: Djokovic in 4
Shane
Djokovic has not played a grass-court event since last July, so I would not be surprised if he showed some rust early on. That said, he should have no problem getting past the Frenchman.
Prediction: Djokovic in 4
Main Photo Credit: Susan Mullane – USA TODAY Sports
