Wimbledon R3 previews and picks: Djokovic vs. Tomic, Wawrinka vs. Verdasco

French Open finalists Novak Djokovic and Stan Wawrinka could get their first serious tests at Wimbledon on Friday. They are set for respective third-round showdowns against Bernard Tomic and Fernando Verdasco.

(1) Novak Djokovic vs. (27) Bernard Tomic

Djokovic and Tomic will be facing each other for the fourth time in their careers and for the second time at Wimbledon when they meet during third-round action on Friday. All three of their previous encounters have gone the way of Djokovic, but they have not squared off since 2012. A match scheduled in this year’s Indian Wells quarterfinals never took place, as Tomic withdrew due to injury. Djokovic’s wins came four seasons ago at the All-England Club (6-2, 3-6, 6-3, 7-5) and at 2012 events in Rome (6-3, 6-3) and Montreal (6-2, 6-3).

The world No. 1 is bouncing back nicely from his upset loss in the French Open final to Stan Wawrinka. He has improved his 2015 record to a dominant 43-3 with routine victories so far this fortnight over Philipp Kohlschreiber and Jarkko Nieminen. Tomic’s grass-court prowess is well-respected and hopes were high for him heading into Wimbledon after he fared relatively well in Stuttgart (lost to Rafael Nadal in the quarterfinals). The Australian almost got bounced out right away, but he managed to scrape past Jan-Lennard Struff 6-3, 3-6, 2-6, 6-2, 6-3 on Monday. He then took care of qualifier Pierre-Hugues Herbert 7-6(3), 6-4, 7-6(5) in round two. Unfortunately for Tomic, Djokovic’s form right now is such that the top seed is only vulnerable against the very best of the best (see: Wawrinka at Roland Garros). The world No. 26 will not produce enough offense in order to seriously trouble Djokovic in this one.

Pick: Djokovic in 3 losing 11-14 games

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(4) Stan Wawrinka vs. Fernando Verdasco

Wawrinka and Verdasco will be colliding for just the fourth time in their careers and for only the second time in 10 years. Verdasco leads the head-to-head series 2-1 after prevailing 6-3, 6-3 on the clay courts of Acapulco in 2012. Their two other showdowns came way back in 2005, when Verdasco got the job done 7-6(8), 6-2 before Wawrinka scored a 3-6, 6-4, 7-6(8) victory in Gstaad. This will be the two veterans’ fourth matchup in as many meetings on something other than a hard court (all three previous clashes on clay).

Wawrinka’s lifetime record at Wimbledon (15-10) is by far his worst at the four majors. Of course, if he plays like he did at Roland Garros it does not matter what surface is under his feet. The fourth-ranked Swiss, who reached the quarterfinals for the first time in 2014, seems to be maintaining his momentum. Wawrinka beat Joao Sousa 6-2, 7-5, 7-6(3) in his opener before disposing of Victor Estrella Burgos 6-3, 6-4, 7-5 on Wednesday. Verdasco has been a marathon man of sorts en route to the last 32. The 43rd-ranked Spaniard outlasted Martin Klizan 13-11 in the fifth set then overcame Dominic Thiem after trailing two sets to one. Verdasco is aiming for his fifth fourth-round appearance in SW19–including one quarterfinal in 2013. This will be a tough test for Wawrinka, but his vast offensive array will allow him to dictate play and avoid his opponent’s forehand.

Pick: Wawrinka in 4

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