Wimbledon draw: Alcaraz in Sinner’s half, Hurkacz in Djokovic’s quarter

The Wimbledon draw ceremony was conducted on Friday morning at the All-England Club. Another Grand Slam semifinal showdown between Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz is possible, as the third-seeded Alcaraz landed in the top half of the bracket.

Sinner’s road could get difficult in round two, where fellow Italian Matteo Berrettini looms large. Berrettini is a former Wimbledon finalist (2021) and recently was the runner-up in Stuttgart. Sinner kicks off his campaign as the No. 1 seed against Yannick Hanfmann; he could face Tallon Griekspoor in the third round, Ben Shelton in the last 16, and either Daniil Medvedev or Grigor Dimitrov in the quarterfinals.

Alcaraz–who outlasted Sinner in a five-set semifinal on his way to the French Open title earlier this month–finds himself in a much weaker quarter. The defending champion should be able to coast into the quarters, where he could run into familiar foe and recent Queen’s Club winner Tommy Paul. Casper Ruud is the No. 8 seed in Alcaraz’s section, but Paul would be favored over the Norwegian on grass.

At the bottom of the draw is second seed Novak Djokovic, who is on a collision course for the quarterfinals with Hubert Hurkacz. They squared off in SW19 during fourth-round action last year, when Djokovic survived in four extremely tight sets. The 37-year-old Serb is a question mark at the moment given his medial meniscus tear at the French Open, while Hurkacz’s grass-court swing already includes a runner-up showing in Halle (lost to Sinner). Djokovic could meet either Holger Rune or Karen Khachanov in round four; Alex de Minaur is a potential fourth-round opponent for Hurkacz.

Alexander Zverev’s quarter is probably the most wide open. It is not top heavy at all but boasts plenty of depth. Among the other contenders for a semifinal spot are Andrey Rublev, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Taylor Fritz, Sebastian Korda, Lorenzo Musetti, and Jack Draper. Zverev vs. Draper would be a mouth-watering third-round matchup.

Full PDF draw on the Wimbledon website

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