The men’s draw revealed plenty of mouth-watering first rounds at Wimbledon, which means grounds pass holders can expect some fun match-ups on the outside courts.
Here are our picks for opening matches to watch at the All England Club…
Juan Martin del Potro v Thanasi Kokkinakis
Del Potro against Kokkinakis is not to be missed especially with the back story each one of them has. They’re both players who have had their careers derailed by unrelenting injuries and are real fan favourites.
Bernard Tomic v Mischa Zverev
Both love their grass courts but have different styles on the surface with Zverev a classic serve-and-volleyer and Tomic more proficient from the baseline. A match with lots of entertainment potential.
Murray on the practice courts at Wimbledon on Friday.
Andy Murray v Alexander Bublik
Bublik is a young up-and-comer showing lots of promise and despite the gulf in experience, this can make for a fun match-up and it will be interesting to see how the 20-year-old will fare on Wimbledon Centre Court against the defending champion in just his second Grand Slam main draw.
Lucas Pouille v Malek Jaziri
Both are crafty players who can produce some beautiful tennis on grass. Pouille, a quarter-finalist here last year, is the favourite but first round jitters can make it a closer affair than expected.
Fernando Verdasco v Kevin Anderson
Verdasco has done well this year to get back into a seeding position for the Slams and he started his French Open last month by upsetting Alexander Zverev in the first round. Anderson almost beat Djokovic here a couple of years ago and is also back fit and healthy. The South African’s huge serve will cause trouble for Verdasco, a quarter-finalist here in 2013.
Marin Cilic v Philipp Kohlschreiber
An unfortunate opener for the seventh-seeded Cilic who is 3-6 head-to-head against the German. Kohlschreiber is always the unseeded opponent everyone tries to avoid in the first round at a Slam, especially at Wimbledon. Cilic is in-form but Kohlschreiber will have confidence considering he won their last two meetings.
Richard Gasquet v David Ferrer
The draw gods did not have mercy on a plummeting Ferrer, who has won just eight matches this season. Now down to No39 in the world, the Spaniard is unseeded and has drawn two-time semi-finalist Gasquet in the first round. Ferrer may be out-of-form but still Gasquet will not be too pleased with this match especially with his 3-9 head-to-head record against Ferrer.