Roger Federer will kick off Monday action at Wimbledon as the defending champion. Federer is going up against Victor Hanescu, while two-time champion Rafael Nadal opens with Steve Darcis.
Victor Hanescu vs. (3) Roger Federer
Federer and Hanescu will be going head-to-head for the sixth time in their careers when they clash in round one of Wimbledon on Monday. All five of their previous meetings have been won by Federer, who is 13-1 in total sets against his opponent. They most recently faced each other at the 2010 Indian Wells Masters, where Hanescu finally earned a set before succumbing 6-3, 6-7(5), 6-1.
The 6’6” Romanian is a modest 11-4 for the season, but he made a run to the third round at Roland Garros. Hanescu’s grass-court tuneup event ended right when it started, with a 6-4, 6-3 first-round loss to Guillermo Garcia-Lopez in ‘s-Hertogenbosch. Federer lost to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the French Open quarters, but he bounced back to capture his first 2013 title on the grass courts of Halle. A seven-time champion at the All-England Club, Federer should cruise through this one in typical Federer fashion.
Pick: Federer 6-1, 6-4, 6-2
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(5) Rafael Nadal vs. Steve Darcis
Nadal and Darcis will be squaring off for the second time in their careers on Monday. Their only previous encounter came in the 2010 Doha quarterfinals, with Nadal leading 6-1, 2-0 before Darcis retired. The 29-year-old Belgian’s career has continued to be plagued by injuries and he registers at No. 113 in the world as of Sunday. Darcis is a modest 2-6 at the ATP level this season after dropping his ‘s-Hertogenbosch opener as a lucky loser 7-6(5), 6-4 to eventual runner-up Stanislas Wawrinka.
While Nadal has erased some 2012 demons with an awesome run in 2013, this is one more chance to put away–or maybe relive–memories of his second-round loss to Lukas Rosol last year. The fifth-ranked Spaniard is a two-time champion of Wimbledon (2008 and 2010) and he has to feel good about a forthcoming result more along those lines than what happened in 2012. Nadal is a ridiculous 43-2 this season with seven titles–including another triumph at the French Open. He may start somewhat slow having played no matches on grass this year, but Nadal should still roll.
Pick: Nadal 6-4, 6-3, 6-2
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