Fourth-round action at Wimbledon wraps up on Monday, when friends and familiar foes Novak Djokovic and Holger Rune battle for a spot in the quarterfinals. Alexander Zverev and Taylor Fritz are also taking the court.
(15) Holger Rune vs. (2) Novak Djokovic
Djokovic and Rune will already be squaring off for the sixth time in the early stages of Rune’s career when they clash in round four at Wimbledon on Monday. The head-to-head series stands at 3-2 in Djokovic’s favor and the matchup has been every bit as competitive as the 3-2 margin suggests. Not once have they played a straight-set match and on four of five occasions they have required a decisive set. Djokovic was tested in the second and third rounds of this event by Jake Fearnley and Alexei Popyrin, respectively, but now for the first time the 24-time Grand Slam champion is facing an opponent who truly has belief in this matchup.
From a mental standpoint, it’s the kind of showdown that could really inspire Rune to get things going in what has been a mostly lackluster season. The 21-year-old Dane’s third-round contest should help in that department, too, as he stormed back from two sets down to defeat Quentin Halys 1-6, 6-7(4), 6-4, 7-6(4), 6-1. This isn’t Rune’s first rodeo with success at the All-England Club; last year he made a run to the quarterfinals, ousting Grigor Dimitrov in the process before falling to eventual champion Carlos Alcaraz. This could be be Djokovic’s toughest test of the fortnight so far, but it’s hard to bet against him in any Grand Slam situation against anyone other than Alcaraz or Jannik Sinner.
Pick: Djokovic in 5
(13) Taylor Fritz vs. (4) Alexander Zverev
Fritz is red hot on grass this summer and looking like a legitimate outside contender for the Wimbledon title. The 12th-ranked American is 34-12 for his 2024 campaign, including an awesome 9-1 on grass. He captured the Eastbourne title for the third time in his career and has followed it up with convincing wins at the All-England Club over Christopher O’Connell, Arthur Rinderknech, and Mallorca champion Alejandro Tabilo.
Up next for Fritz is a ninth meeting with Zverev, who leads the head-to-head series 5-3. The fourth-ranked German has won both of their previous Wimbledon tilts, but neither one was easy; he prevailed 6-4, 5-7, 6-7(0), 6-1, 6-2 in 2018 and 6-7(3), 6-4, 6-3, 7-6(4) in 2021. Although Zverev has not dropped a set at this tournament, his draw has been a friendly one (he avoided Jack Draper in the third round) and his third-set tiebreaker against Cameron Norrie on Saturday was a 17-15 thriller. The recent French Open runner-up also sustained a knee injury against Norrie, the extent of which is currently unknown. Regardless, this is a great opportunity for an extremely confident Fritz on a surface that probably gives him an advantage even though both guys are all-court players.
Pick: Fritz in 5