4 min read
Opening day on Monday at Wimbledon saw top seed Novak Djokovic drop a set to Kwon Soon-woo and hometown heroes Emma Raducanu and Andy Murray advance.
Let’s look closer at the action and preview what’s coming next with the help of Universal Tennis INSIGHTS.
Djokovic Sets Another Record
Novak Djokovic (UTR Rating 16.09) became the first player to secure 80 wins at each Grand Slam after his 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 win over South Korea’s Kwon (15.11). The second set was interrupted twice with spectators in the Centre Court crowd requiring medical attention.
Next up for Djokovic will be Australia’s Thanasi Kokkiankis (15.35) where he’s favored by INSIGHTS at 85%. Plagued by injuries for most of his career, Kokkinakis has the ability to beat anyone on his best day, having famously upset Roger Federer at the 2018 Miami Open.
Djokovic has only faced Kokkinakis once, beating him at Roland Garros in 2015. Though there is still a very long way to go, the Serbian is looking to win his fourth Wimbledon in a row.
Murray Marches Onward
Andy Murray (15.41) began his Wimbledon campaign with a four-set win over James Duckworth (14.94). The Scot has never lost before the third round at the All-England Club and is favored against his next opponent, No. 20-seeded John Isner (15.25). INSIGHTS gives Murray the edge at 61%, leading 8-0 in career meetings against the American although they haven’t played each other since 2016.
Murray put his abdominal injury concerns behind him after suffering the injury during his Stuttgart final loss to Matteo Berrettini (15.74). He used the underarm serve against Duckworth for pure strategy.
"No one says it's disrespectful for someone to return from five or six meters behind the baseline to try to get an advantage,” Murray said. "So I used it, not to be disrespectful to him, but to say, 'If you're going to step further back to return the serve to give yourself more time, then I'm going to exploit that.”
Raducanu Shines on Centre Court
In women’s action, Emma Raducanu (12.60) made her Centre Court debut a great one by beating Alison Van Uytvanck (12.50), 6-4, 6-4. The crowd is firmly in the teen's corner.
"I've been feeling it ever since I stepped onto the practice courts, people behind me going, 'Emma you've got this.' And I'm like, 'Yeah, I've got this',” Raducanu said. “I'm just so happy to stay another day.”
She’ll next take on Caroline Garcia (12.30) with INSIGHTS favoring Raducanu at 68%. The 19-year-old Brit has the higher UTR Ratings (overall and three-month trending) and beat the Frenchwoman in three sets at Indian Wells earlier this season. Garcia needed a third-set tiebreak to get past Yuriko Miyazaki but entered Wimbledon on the heels of a WTA 250 title in Bad Homburg, Germany.
Players to Watch
The highest seed to fall on Day 1 was No. 7, Danielle Collins (12.85), losing to Marie Bouzkova (12.63). Bouzkova next takes on unseeded American Ann Li (12.48) where she’s favored at 60%, per INSIGHTS. Bouzkova, a 23-year-old Czech, is hoping to reach the third round of a major for the first time. While Bouzkova has the higher UTR Ratings, Li’s recent win-loss record is stronger.
Wild card Tim van Rijthoven (14.79) continued his dream summer by securing his first-ever Wimbledon win. Earlier this month, the Dutch 25-year-old came out of nowhere to capture the title in s'Hertogenbosch with wins over Felix-Auger Aliassime (15.54) and Daniil Medvedev (15.89). Remarkably he has yet to break into the Top 100. He will next look to upset No. 15 seed Reilly Opelka (15.33), with INSIGHTS giving him a 25% chance.
Extra special mention goes to Catherine Harrison (11.33) for winning her first-ever Grand Slam match over Arantxa Rus on Tuesday. The 28-year-old was competing on the UTR Pro Tennis Tour this time last year, reaching the final of the PTT $25K event in Dallas.
Stay tuned for more from INSIGHTS, and to learn more about Universal Tennis, click here.
•UTR Ratings and INSIGHTS probabilities as of 6 a.m. EST, June 25, 2022.