After three hectic weeks of grass-court battles on the ATP Tour, the action kicks into high gear at The Championships at Wimbledon. The men’s singles draw is out, and some mouthwatering first-round matches have already got fans reaching for their popcorn.
Ahead of the start of play on Monday, ATPTour.com looks at five first-round matches to watch:
Nick Kyrgios vs [21] Ugo Humbert
There could be early fireworks at the All England Club after Nick Kyrgios and Ugo Humbert booked a blockbuster rematch of their epic Australian Open clash. When these two met in Melbourne, they delighted Aussie fans with a marathon five-setter that went down to the wire, with Kyrgios upsetting the Frenchman 5-7, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(2), 6-4.
This time around, the matchup between the big-hitting Aussie and the dangerous French lefty could come down to match fitness and momentum. Kyrgios, who reached the Wimbledon quarter-finals in 2014, has not played a tour-level event since the Australian Open in February, and will be playing outside of Australia for the first time since Acapulco last year.
Humbert, who achieved his best Grand Slam result with a run to the Wimbledon fourth round in 2019, arrives on a high after claiming his first ATP 500 trophy at the NOVENTI OPEN last week in Halle (d. Rublev). Humbert and Kyrgios are tied at 1-1 in their ATP Head2Head, with Kyrgios winning their only completed match.
Jan-Lennard Struff vs [2] Daniil Medvedev
If there’s one name that a top Russian seed doesn’t want to see in their first-round draw, it’s ‘Jan-Lennard Struff’.
At Roland Garros, the German caused a big upset when he took down seventh seed Andrey Rublev in five sets in his opening match. A week later he was wreaking havoc again in Halle, toppling top seed Daniil Medvedev 7-6(6), 6-3 in the Russian’s first grass-court match of the year.
Medvedev, seeded second at Wimbledon, will have the chance to earn some revenge as he has drawn Struff once again in the fifth chapter of their growing rivalry. Medvedev leads 3-1 in their ATP Head2Head with wins on hard courts and clay, but big-serving Struff has the tools to make the unorthodox Medvedev uncomfortable in their second grass-court meeting.
The Russian will hit the courts at the All England Club after a confidence-boosting run to the Mallorca Championships final, while Struff’s lone win of the grass-court swing (1-2) came over Medvedev.
Sebastian Korda vs [15] Alex de Minaur
#NextGenATP Sebastian Korda will take on 22-year-old Alex de Minaur for the first time in an exciting clash between two young players who are both hitting their strides.
Korda, who is in the midst of the best season of his career after claiming his first ATP Tour title in Parma, arrived at the All England Club at a career-high FedEx ATP Ranking of No. 50. It doesn’t get much better for the young American as he prepares for his Wimbledon main-draw debut. The 20-year-old owns a 2-1 grass-court win-loss record in his nascent career after playing his first event on the surface at the NOVENTI OPEN. But he made sure to leave his mark in Halle with an upset of sixth seed Roberto Bautista Agut on his way to the quarter-finals (l. to Humbert).
De Minaur owns the edge in experience over Korda as one of the most consistent players of the brief grass-court swing. The Aussie has reached quarter-finals at the MercedesCup in Stuttgart, the semi-finals at The Queen’s Club (in both singles and doubles, partnered with Cameron Norrie) and is into the final at the Viking International Eastbourne. As a result, he has returned to the Top 20 and could start at SW19 at a new career-high in the FedEx ATP Rankings (currently World No. 18).
[22] Daniel Evans vs Feliciano Lopez
Who said the one-handed backhand was on its way out? Wimbledon fans will be in for a treat with this battle between home favourite Daniel Evans and lefty Feliciano Lopez, two players who employ the classic shot with style and power in equal measure.
Evans, the 22nd seed, will be high on confidence and enjoy the support of his home crowd after reaching back-to-back quarter-finals at the ATP Challenger Tour event in Nottingham (l. to Kudla) and the ATP 500 cinch Championships at The Queen’s Club (l. to Berrettini). The Brit, who also won his first tour-level title at the Murray River Open to start the season, reached a career-high No. 25 in the FedEx ATP Rankings last week.
He could be in for a battle against 39-year-old Lopez, an experienced grass-court player who has lifted four of his seven tour-level titles on this surface. The No. 90-ranked Spaniard recorded his milestone 500th match win at the Mallorca Championships with a victory over Karen Khachanov on his way to the quarter-finals (l. to Mannarino).
[WC] Andy Murray vs [24] Nikoloz Basilashvili
Two-time former Wimbledon champion Andy Murray will be in for a battle after drawing the in-form Nikoloz Basilashvili in the opening round of The Championships.
It will be Murray’s first time playing singles at Wimbledon since 2017 and his second grass-court event of the season. The Brit will arrive with a 1-1 win-loss record on the surface after reaching the second round at the cinch Championships in London (l. to Berrettini), where he scored a confidence-boosting and emotional victory over Benoit Paire – his first grass-court victory since 2018.
But he’ll be up against Basilashvili in a defense-offense clash of styles against the 24th seeded Georgian, who has lifted two ATP Tour trophies this year at Doha and Munich. Murray will have the edge in grass-court experience, with eight of his 43 tour-level titles coming on the surface, including two Grand Slams and an Olympic gold medal. Basilashvili reached the third round at Wimbledon in his 2015 main draw debut, but has not been past the second round since.
Ahead of the start of play on Monday, ATPTour.com looks at five first-round matches to watch:
Nick Kyrgios vs [21] Ugo Humbert
There could be early fireworks at the All England Club after Nick Kyrgios and Ugo Humbert booked a blockbuster rematch of their epic Australian Open clash. When these two met in Melbourne, they delighted Aussie fans with a marathon five-setter that went down to the wire, with Kyrgios upsetting the Frenchman 5-7, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(2), 6-4.
This time around, the matchup between the big-hitting Aussie and the dangerous French lefty could come down to match fitness and momentum. Kyrgios, who reached the Wimbledon quarter-finals in 2014, has not played a tour-level event since the Australian Open in February, and will be playing outside of Australia for the first time since Acapulco last year.
Humbert, who achieved his best Grand Slam result with a run to the Wimbledon fourth round in 2019, arrives on a high after claiming his first ATP 500 trophy at the NOVENTI OPEN last week in Halle (d. Rublev). Humbert and Kyrgios are tied at 1-1 in their ATP Head2Head, with Kyrgios winning their only completed match.
Jan-Lennard Struff vs [2] Daniil Medvedev
If there’s one name that a top Russian seed doesn’t want to see in their first-round draw, it’s ‘Jan-Lennard Struff’.
At Roland Garros, the German caused a big upset when he took down seventh seed Andrey Rublev in five sets in his opening match. A week later he was wreaking havoc again in Halle, toppling top seed Daniil Medvedev 7-6(6), 6-3 in the Russian’s first grass-court match of the year.
Medvedev, seeded second at Wimbledon, will have the chance to earn some revenge as he has drawn Struff once again in the fifth chapter of their growing rivalry. Medvedev leads 3-1 in their ATP Head2Head with wins on hard courts and clay, but big-serving Struff has the tools to make the unorthodox Medvedev uncomfortable in their second grass-court meeting.
The Russian will hit the courts at the All England Club after a confidence-boosting run to the Mallorca Championships final, while Struff’s lone win of the grass-court swing (1-2) came over Medvedev.
Sebastian Korda vs [15] Alex de Minaur
#NextGenATP Sebastian Korda will take on 22-year-old Alex de Minaur for the first time in an exciting clash between two young players who are both hitting their strides.
Korda, who is in the midst of the best season of his career after claiming his first ATP Tour title in Parma, arrived at the All England Club at a career-high FedEx ATP Ranking of No. 50. It doesn’t get much better for the young American as he prepares for his Wimbledon main-draw debut. The 20-year-old owns a 2-1 grass-court win-loss record in his nascent career after playing his first event on the surface at the NOVENTI OPEN. But he made sure to leave his mark in Halle with an upset of sixth seed Roberto Bautista Agut on his way to the quarter-finals (l. to Humbert).
De Minaur owns the edge in experience over Korda as one of the most consistent players of the brief grass-court swing. The Aussie has reached quarter-finals at the MercedesCup in Stuttgart, the semi-finals at The Queen’s Club (in both singles and doubles, partnered with Cameron Norrie) and is into the final at the Viking International Eastbourne. As a result, he has returned to the Top 20 and could start at SW19 at a new career-high in the FedEx ATP Rankings (currently World No. 18).
[22] Daniel Evans vs Feliciano Lopez
Who said the one-handed backhand was on its way out? Wimbledon fans will be in for a treat with this battle between home favourite Daniel Evans and lefty Feliciano Lopez, two players who employ the classic shot with style and power in equal measure.
Evans, the 22nd seed, will be high on confidence and enjoy the support of his home crowd after reaching back-to-back quarter-finals at the ATP Challenger Tour event in Nottingham (l. to Kudla) and the ATP 500 cinch Championships at The Queen’s Club (l. to Berrettini). The Brit, who also won his first tour-level title at the Murray River Open to start the season, reached a career-high No. 25 in the FedEx ATP Rankings last week.
He could be in for a battle against 39-year-old Lopez, an experienced grass-court player who has lifted four of his seven tour-level titles on this surface. The No. 90-ranked Spaniard recorded his milestone 500th match win at the Mallorca Championships with a victory over Karen Khachanov on his way to the quarter-finals (l. to Mannarino).
[WC] Andy Murray vs [24] Nikoloz Basilashvili
Two-time former Wimbledon champion Andy Murray will be in for a battle after drawing the in-form Nikoloz Basilashvili in the opening round of The Championships.
It will be Murray’s first time playing singles at Wimbledon since 2017 and his second grass-court event of the season. The Brit will arrive with a 1-1 win-loss record on the surface after reaching the second round at the cinch Championships in London (l. to Berrettini), where he scored a confidence-boosting and emotional victory over Benoit Paire – his first grass-court victory since 2018.
But he’ll be up against Basilashvili in a defense-offense clash of styles against the 24th seeded Georgian, who has lifted two ATP Tour trophies this year at Doha and Munich. Murray will have the edge in grass-court experience, with eight of his 43 tour-level titles coming on the surface, including two Grand Slams and an Olympic gold medal. Basilashvili reached the third round at Wimbledon in his 2015 main draw debut, but has not been past the second round since.