The Wimbledon Championship is set to start today as the young guns will look to stop the man in form. Novak Djokovic has been instrumental at Grass over the past few years. He has been record-breaking at every major tournament in Tennis. Djokovic is the favorite to take the title but will be cautious not to take it easy as an upset is always around the corner at Wimbledon.
Holger Rune expected to secure first win at Wimbledon
There are a handful of players to look out for as they have the potential to stir up the competition. Holger Rune has been in hot form this year and reached the semifinals at Queen’s Club losing to Alex de Minaur in straight sets. Rune has beaten Djokovic in their last two meetings although they have never met on grass courts.
A warm #Wimbledon embrace @holgerrune2003 🤝 @carlosalcaraz pic.twitter.com/aDzJdshyPF
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) June 27, 2023
World number 6 is agile and quick on the court which will be an added advantage at the surface. Rune has not yet won a match at Wimbledon, he had qualified for the first time last year. This year he has had a relatively smooth passage as compared to other players.
Carlos Alcaraz looking confident after victory at Queen’s
World number one Carlos Alcaraz has already established himself in clay and hardcourts. The next step will be to conquer the green courts and he has already started the process. Alcaraz won his first grass court title at Queen’s Club two weeks back.
He has had plenty of time to get adjusted to the surface on his way to the championship. The Spaniard will look to avenge his semifinal loss at Roland Garros to Djokovic three weeks back.
“I started at Queen’s with no expectations to win Queen’s, and I won it. For me, I feel great playing at such a great level. The confidence grew a lot,” Alcaraz said in his pre-tournament press conference on Sunday.
Jannik Sinner hoping to learn from last year’s close call
Last year’s quarterfinalist, Jannik Sinner, reached back-to-back quarterfinals on his way to Wimbledon. The 21-year-old had lost to Djokovic after taking a 2-set lead a year ago, and it did take the seven-time Wimbledon champ three and a half hours to get the momentum back. Sinner can get to the finish line if he can end the rallies as hard and fast as he does on hard courts
First grass title chance at the perfect time for Frances Tiafoe
After reaching a career-high world number 10, Frances Tiafoe is currently in the best form of his career. Tiafoe has one of the best volleys on tour and can pull out the big shots when needed. The 25-year-old has the 10th most favorable draw as compared to other players in this year’s championship according to IBM AI draw analysis.
Tiafoe won his first grass court title at Stuttgart a few weeks ago while saving a championship point against Jan-Lennard Struff and now has a title on every surface. The second-ranked American will also try to outperform his teammate Taylor Fritz, who is 200 points ahead in the rankings.