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 No. 1 seed Jannik Sinner vs Yannick Hanfmann. As always, we at LWOT have our roundtable predictions for all the Wimbledon action. Ateet Shrivastava, Damian Kust, and Jordan Reynolds offer their insights.
Wimbledon Men’s Day 1 Predictions
Tommy Paul vs Pedro Martinez
Ateet
Tommy Paul has been one of the most impressive players this season whenever he has played. He has a good draw on paper and he showed good grass court tennis to win at the Queen’s Club. His variety and aggression will be too much for Pedro Martinez, who doesn’t have the pedigree on grass.
Prediction: Paul in 3
Damian
Martinez isn’t completely out of fast courts game especially when he’s confident in his forehand, but this just feels extremely lop-sided. Paul just won Queen’s and should be looking at this event as a big opportunity. Losing in the first round would be a massive shock.
Prediction: Paul in 3
Jordan
Queen’s Club champion Paul’s performances on clay and grass this year has dispelled any notion of him being a hard court specialist. By contrast, Martinez is yet to win a match on grass this year. The Spaniard, who strongly prefers playing on clay, is likely to be defeated.
Prediction: Paul in 3
Jan-Lennard Struff vs Fabian Marozsan
Ateet
This has been the best season of Struff’s career and he can do some damage on grass with his big game. He caused Jannik Sinner all the problems in Halle with his big serves and net rushes. Fabian Marozsan also played at a good level and troubled Sinner in Halle but lost in straight sets to Aleksandar Vukic. Marozsan can take a set if he plays great but that’s about it.
Prediction: Struff in 4
Damian
Marozsan already beat Struff on a fast, low-bouncing court in Bratislava two years ago, which was pretty surprising at the time. He’s got that playstyle where he can sometimes just fire up at will and form isn’t too important, but there’s quite a big discrepancy between the quality of their recent performances here.
Prediction: Struff in 4
Jordan
This is an intriguing matchup. Struff’s huge serve and Marozsan’s similarly devastating forehand mean this match is likely to come down to fine margins. Overall, Struff is one of the better players in the men’s game at staying calm during tight moments, which could be the difference.
Prediction: Struff in 4
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Roberto Bautista Agut vs Maximillian Marterer
Ateet
Bautista Agut got some much-needed wins in Mallorca which will boost his confidence coming into Wimbledon. The Spaniard has always been a good player on grass and would be glad to see Marterer on the other side of the net as the German player has only won one main draw match this year.
Prediction: Bautista Agut in 4
Damian
Bautista Agut can still play some decent stuff and maybe especially on the grass. The former Wimbledon semifinalist shouldn’t allow this one to get too physical as Marterer was just crushed by Jubb in Mallorca and has been on a horrible run virtually since the beginning of the season.
Prediction: Bautista Agut in 4
Jordan
Former Wimbledon semifinalist Bautista Agut is not the player he once was, but he showed that his level is still solid in his run to the quarterfinal in Mallorca. Marterer reached the third round at SW19 last year and will be a tough test. But I favour Bautista Agut’s flat hitting and consistency in this matchup.
Prediction: Bautista Agut in 3
Matteo Berrettini vs Marton Fucsovics
Ateet
Berrettini started off his grass season with a final in Stuttgart but picked a surprising loss to Marcos Giron at the Halle Open. The Italian player has a great record on grass and will be looking to leave his mark once again. Marton Fucsovics has beaten Berrettini before in 2019 and will pose a strong challenge but his form hasn’t been good enough to cause an upset.
Prediction: Berrettini in 4
Damian
Everyone is already thinking about that Sinner vs Berrettini second-round clash, but let’s not write off Fucsovics just yet. The Hungarian has that deadly slice and is a quality operator on the grass, making the quarterfinals here three years ago. Healthy Berrettini might be too much for him, but he deserves to be given some benefit of the doubt.
Prediction: Berrettini in 4
Jordan
Berrettini has adjusted impressively since returning from a long injury. He could be set to do some serious damage at Wimbledon once again. Fucosvics has beaten some big names in the past, but toppling Berrettini over five sets on grass is a big ask.
Prediction: Berrettini in 4
Main Photo Credit: Mike Frey – USA TODAY Sports