Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray will be back in action at the All-England Club as round two gets underway on Wednesday. Djokovic is going up against Thanasi Kokkinakis, while Murray has to face the huge serve of former semifinalist John Isner.
(1) Novak Djokovic vs. Thanasi Kokkinakis
The Covid-19 pandemic has already been a significant issue at two of the three Grand Slams (Roland Garros excluded) and it is already a U.S. Open story since Djokovic probably won’t be able to play—just as he wasn’t in Australia. With Matteo Berrettini and Marin Cilic already out of Wimbledon because of positive tests, Djokovic has become even more of a favorite to lift the trophy for a fourth straight time. The top-seeded Serb will hope to avoid both Covid-19 and opponents’ upset bids, the latter of which he accomplished in his opener by scraping past Soonwoo Kwon in four sets.
Up next for Djokovic on Wednesday is Kokkinakis, who lost their only previous meeting 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 in round three of the 2015 French Open. Kokkinakis’ victory over Kamil Majchrzak on Monday was his first ever in the main draw at Wimbledon. The 79th-ranked Aussie played only one match on grass leading up to this fortnight and loss it in straight sets to world No. 375 Otto Virtanen at the Surbiton Challenger. Kokkinakis generally plays better on big stages, but Djokovic has a match under his belt and should improve to win this one in straight sets.
Pick: Djokovic in 3
Andy Murray vs. (20) John Isner
Isner and Murray will be matching up for the ninth time in their careers on Wednesday. That Murray has a lead in the head-to-head series is hardly surprising; but nobody can claim that they would expect it to be 8-0 in the Scot’s favor. That, however, is exactly the case heading into their round-two showdown. Interestingly, Isner has a better record against every member of the Big 3: 2-8 vs. Djokovic, 1-8 vs. Rafael Nadal, and 2-10 vs. Roger Federer.
Their most important encounter has also been one of their most competitive. In the 2011 U.S. Open quarterfinals, Murray survived 7-5, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(2). Fast forward 11 years and both guys are still battling in the second half of their 30s. Isner registers at No. 24 in the world to Murray’s No. 52, but it is the three-time Grand Slam champion who owns the current momentum and also has the benefit of playing at home. Murray recently advanced to the Stuttgart final, beating Nick Kyrgios and Stefanos Tsitsipas in the process before falling to Matteo Berrettini in three sets. The world No. 52 could not play Queen’s Club because of an abdominal injury, but he looked 100 percent during a 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 6-4 victory over James Duckworth on Monday. Isner needed five sets to get past Enzo Couacaud. Murray has always feasted on big servers—the 6’10’’ American included—throughout his career and there is no reason to expect anything different here.
Pick: Murray in 4
WWW?
C’mon Andy!
Joker cruises; and Andy over the Big Dawg in 4.
I hope Andy can get it done!
Oh my gosh! This bottom half is in serious crisis!! As far as I’m concerned the remaining field is just batting practice for Nole!!! He should be very happy for that bcoz right now he’s just embarrassing Kokkinakis!!
Kecmanovic can trouble a bit ..
If Tim vithoven makes it ,that can be tasty too
N don’t count out alcaraz if he survives Murray
Novak is sleepwalking his way through the draw!
Exactly NNY! I can imagine the remaining draw can trouble Novak as expected at some point, but ONLY at some point given it’s a grand slam. But other than that, he’s a shoe in!!!
I mean if Murray manages to beat Alcaraz then maybe Murray can provide a little resistance given that he has beaten Novak here before but that’s like grasping at straws!!!
Meanwhile, Rafa is having to navigate despite the draw opening up!
Mona,
It is really a joke. Hurkacz is out already. He was supposed to be the semifinal opponent for Novak. Some seem to think Alcaraz can provide a challenge to Novak. But I don’t know if that is possible given that it’s grass.
It is getting to be quite the embarrassment. I am relieved that Rafa’s draw has opened up, but Fritz and Cressy are still in it. At least he got a break with Felix and Querrey losing, although I don’t know that Querrey would have been tough at this point in his career. Cilic and Berrettini withdrawing because of Covid was also a break.
Rafa has to get into good form on the grass. He was making a lot of uncharacteristic errors and his shots were not there. He needs to get through the first week. Now it looks easier.
But he still does not have it as easy as Novak. Good only knows who will get through to play Novak in the second week.
The key here is its very slow centre court. Did you all see the number of long rallies yesterday in rafas match…when ever have we seen so many rallies on day 2 on Cc…hence if alcaraz reaches qf..it can be tasty..whether he will reach there is another question given he has to navigate past Murray
Murray is down two sets to Isner. So I don’t think he is going to make it through.
Murray actually grabbed a set with a tie-breaker. This a typical Isner match. Isner rarely breaks. But he is also hard to break, and this leads to many tie-breakers and long matches. I highly doubt that Murray is able to turn this match around and win two more sets. He will probably lose. Andy has been playing well on grass so far. It is a pity that he has to play Isner so early…
Yes, I saw the rest of the match. I think Murray knew it when he was broken by Isner in the fourth set. Isner played better than I have seen him in a while.
I really hoped that Murray could win and have another chance in the tournament. It’s hard seeing him like this.
Ruud is out too. Alcaraz or Nick Kygrios winning this tournament?
Alcaraz is not winning this tournament. Neither is Kyrgios.
well maybe Norrie might fancy his chances after having gone to a fifth lol
I really don’t enjoy Isner’s matches. They tend to be long, and watching him serve is boring. And he is a lousy returner.
I read today that the guys who are responsible for the order of play aren’t Isner fans eather. He is rarely scheduled to play on the show courts because his matches are often long but not attractive, and the players who are scheduled to play next, have to wait, and wait, and wait. But the match against Murray will be finished soon, since Isner has actually broken him in the 4th set, and Murray might not be able to break Isner.
Poor Murray.. Another second round exit .. I was hoping for better result.
Me, too! I really feel a bit sorry for Murray. He had played well during the grass court season, and there are many players in the draw whom he could have beaten. And even the top guns have difficulties with Isner, if the big guy has a great serving day! I should add that Isner did play well today, and he was very gracious towards Murray and the spectators after the match. He even said that Murray is definitely a far better player than he ever was – which is certainly true! Isner knows his limits, and he enjoyed that he had the opportunity to play on a legendary court against one of the best players of the last decade.
But I wonder how long Andy is able to cope with all those early losses…
Yeah, it was sad to c Isner go down like that considering how well he was playing. Is it possible Iner makes the final?! 😄
It would love to c how Alcaraz would fair against Isner.
Monalisa, Isner played really well yesterday, and if he could continue to play on such a high level, he could reach the final. One-dimensional big servers have managed to serve their way into the final. However, it is a big if. Isner’s record against the top players is not very good, and Murray is not a top player anymore.
Sorry Murray*
So sorry for Murray. Hoped he could go much farther. I never watch Isner matches. Just fast forward to the tiebreaks at most.
Not sure why Rafa is struggling. He did well in 2019 until losing to Fed in the semis. He played Kyrgios in the 2nd round, then Tsonga, then Querrey, I think. I know the sun gave him some problems in the 3rd set. Said he couldn’t pick up the ball! Hopefully he’s got a few “easy” matches to work on his game now.
Ramara, saying that Rafa is struggling after just one match might be a bit premature. We will know a bit more after his second round match. However there are many good reasons why it might be difficult for Rafa. He can play excellent tennis on grass. However his preparations were less than ideal,and the court conditions during the early rounds are more difficult for him.
I really don’t understand why so many believe that Rafa is a hot candidate for the title, and that he could beat the best grass court player of the last decade if they should meet in the final. While it’s true that Rafa’s draw became less daunting after Cilic and Berettini dropped out, it’s still a long way into the final, and a few dangerous players lurk in the bottom half of the draw…
Ramara, I feel sorry for Murray, too! I also hoped that he would be able go a bit further. He has worked so hard for his drawn out comeback, and this year he was a genuine threat on grass. If he had won against Isner, he would have encountered Sinner, and that would have been doable for Murray.
However, when Isner has a good serving day he can beat even the top players. He is one of the players nobody wants to encounter – and the audiences don’t like to watch his matches. I made a few harsh remarks about him as well. Many huge servers are seen as party spoilers, and they don’t have many fans. I wonder how they deal with that. Goran Ivanisevic only became a fan favorite when his career was almost over. His matches against Sampras in the 1990s were loathed because the serve was the most dominant stroke. But Goran had become a huge underdog because of various ailments, and he had such a quirky and engaging personality. In 2001, when he finally managed to win his one and only Wimby trophy, his emotions were very moving, and his pressers provided great entertainment. I remember that everybody rooted for him! And the Brits even forgave him that he ousted Rusedski and their darling Henman on his way into the final.
Isner cannot provide this kind of entertainment, but he cannot be blamed for making the most of his best stroke. And yesterday the rest of his game worked as well!