The “big four” men are into Wimbledon week 2 on the men’s side, will one of Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray or Roger Federer take home the Wimbledon title? Here is your full week 2 preview.
Round of 16:
Andy Murray vs. Benoit Paire
The defending champion has again found form, Murray dropped a set against Fabio Fognini in round 3, but won easily against Alexander Bublik and Dustin Brown. He now faces another junkball hitter, Benoit Paire, Paire is a surprise in week 2, but he hasn’t faced a difficult draw. Rogerio Dutra Silva, Pierre-Hugues Herbert, and Jerzy Janowicz was his path to week 2, and he only dropped a set against RDS, edging the big servers in rounds 2 and 3. Murray has a backhand that can compete with Paire’s, and a better all-around game, he should win this match with relative ease. Murray in 3
Sam Querrey vs. Kevin Anderson
Two great grass court players, After wins over Thomas Fabbiano and Nikoloz Basilashvili, Querrey upset Jo-Wilfried Tsonga over two days of tennis, winning a fifth set. Anderson eased past Fernando Verdasco, Andreas Seppi, and Ruben Bemelmans, as Daniil Medvedev upset Stan Wawrinka to open up this section. This is a great opportunity for both players, and I expect them to peak, Anderson’s serve should help him through though. Anderson in 5
Rafael Nadal vs. Gilles Muller
Nadal is 5-1 against Muller and hasn’t dropped a set this Wimbledon. Muller is in great form and should bother Rafa a bit, but his topspin should keep the veteran serve and volleyer pinned to the baseline. Nadal beat John Millman, Donald Young, and Karen Khachanov, Muller beat Marton Fuscovics, Lukas Rosol (in five sets), and Aljaz Bedene and deserves much credit for reaching the second week of Wimbledon at his age. A renewed Nadal should prevail. Nadal in 4
Roberto Bautista Agut vs. Marin Cilic
RBA is here after stunning Kei Nishikori in round 3, he also scored wins over Andreas Haider-Maurer and Peter Gojowczyk, it’s a bit of a surprise he’s playing this well, but Cilic has been lights out and should score a punishing win in this one. Cilic has slayed Philipp Kohlschreiber, Florian Mayer, and Steve Johnson all without dropping a set, which is quite an accomplishment on grass. Cilic in 3
Milos Raonic vs. Alexander Zverev
Unlike his performance in Paris, Zverev is playing really well in a slam, he has wins over Evgeny Donskoy, Frances Tiafoe, and surprise qualifier Sebastian Ofner without dropping a set. Raonic beat Jan-Lennard Struff, Mikhail Youzhny, and Albert Ramos in his bid to repeat as a finalist or take the title this season. Raonic’s serve and skill coming forward almost ensures he’ll take a set here, but Zverev is a better mover and should be able to hit his marks to win this. Zverev in 5
Grigor Dimitrov vs. Roger Federer
Federer has never lost to Dimitrov, who plays a somewhat similar style of tennis, and he just dismissed Mischa Zverev in straights, after defeating Dusan Lajovic and Alexandr Dolgopolov. The maestro is in some of his best grass court form, and Dimitrov shouldn’t be able to match him shot for shot. Dimitrov beat Diego Schwartzman, Marcos Baghdatis, and Dudi Sela to get this far. Federer in 3
Dominic Thiem vs. Tomas Berdych
Both players have had a great tournament given they entered in shaky form, Thiem defeated Vasek Pospisil, Gilles Simon, and Jared Donaldson. Berdych defeated Jeremy Chardy, Ryan Harrison, and David Ferrer, the win over Ferrer coming in straights, even though Ferrer upset an injured Richard Gasquet in the opening round. Thiem has the game to win this match, but Berdych’s power on grass should disrupt his timing enough to help the veteran Czech reach the quarterfinals. Berdych in 5
Adrian Mannarino vs. Novak Djokovic
After winning via retirement against Feliciano Lopez, Mannarino has won long matches against Yuichi Sugita and Gael Monfils. His grass form is great and he should be proud of what he’s accomplished in week 1. That said, Novak Djokovic has taken care of business in the opening week, Martin Klizan retired against him, Adam Pavlasek and Ernests Gulbis also succumbed, even though Gulbis had found form to upset Del Potro and reach round 3. If Djokovic is going to lose this tournament, it won’t be against Mannarino, Djokovic is too physical and will bully the Frenchman around the court. Djokovic in 3
Quarters:
Murray d. Anderson in 4
Cilic d. Nadal in 5
Federer d. A. Zverev in 4
Djokovic d. Berdych in 3
Cilic is playing well enough that I’ll stick by my prediction of him defeating Nadal in the quarters, the other big names, Murray, Federer, and Djokovic should shrug off challenges to reach the semifinals.
Semis:
Murray d. Cilic in 4
Federer d. Djokovic in 4
Murray and Federer are the two best grass court players right now, they are worthy of meeting in the Wimbledon final, and I give Federer a clear edge in that final as long as he can keep himself fit and fresh.
Final:
Federer d. Murray in 4
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