Wimbledon R1 previews and predictions: Federer vs. Mannarino, Humbert vs. Kyrgios

Roger Federer will begin another bid for a ninth Wimbledon title when he takes the court against Adrian Mannarino on Tuesday. Meanwhile, one of the marquee matchups of the entire first round features Ugo Humbert on Nick Kyrgios.

(6) Roger Federer vs. Adrian Mannarino

Federer and Mannarino will be going head-to-head for the seventh time in their careers and for the third time at Wimbledon when they meet again on Tuesday. Their most recent meeting also came at the All-England Club, where Federer cruised 6-0, 7-5, 6-4 in 2018. Their first-ever encounter was at Wimbledon, as well, with the Swiss securing a 6-2, 6-3, 6-2 victory back in 2011. Overall, Federer has won all six contests and is 15-1 lifetime against Mannarino in total sets.

It is true that Mannarino won’t be facing the best version of Federer. At 39 years old, the 20-time Grand Slam champion has played sparingly over the last two seasons. His 2021 comeback has featured only one positive result: a fourth-round showing at the French Open before withdrawing. Still, nothing about this matchup bodes well for Mannarino even with Federer no longer at his best. The 32-year-old Frenchman isn’t in peak form either, as he heads into Wimbledon with a horrendous 9-17 record for the year. Mannarino has no offensive weapons with which to hurt Federer, so another straight-set affair is likely.

Pick: Federer in 3

Nick Kyrgios vs. (21) Ugo Humbert

Outside of Federer, Novak Djokovic, and Andy Murray, this Humbert-Kyrgios matchup will likely command more attention than any other in the Wimbledon first round. Humbert is in great form, Kyrgios is Kyrgios, and this a rematch of an epic Australian Open battle from earlier this year. During second-round action Down Under, Kyrgios treated the home crowd to a 5-7, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(2), 6-4 victory.

Kyrgios certainly isn’t the favorite this time around, and not just because he doesn’t have home-court advantage. In fact, the 60th-ranked Australian has not played since the Aussie Open–and has not won a match since he beat Humbert. Kyrgios unsurprisingly has not appeared to be in great shape on the Wimbledon practice courts, which doesn’t bode well for his chances against one of the hottest players on tour. Humbert is 8-1 on grass this summer, with a quarterfinal showing in Stuttgart and the biggest title of his career in Halle. Anything close to that same level will be more than enough for the 25th-ranked Frenchman to see off Kyrgios.

Pick: Humbert in 4