Fourth-round action at Wimbledon wraps up on Monday, when friends and familiar foes Novak Djokovic and Holger Rune battle for a spot in the quarterfinals. Alexander Zverev and Taylor Fritz are also taking the court.
(15) Holger Rune vs. (2) Novak Djokovic
Djokovic and Rune will already be squaring off for the sixth time in the early stages of Rune’s career when they clash in round four at Wimbledon on Monday. The head-to-head series stands at 3-2 in Djokovic’s favor and the matchup has been every bit as competitive as the 3-2 margin suggests. Not once have they played a straight-set match and on four of five occasions they have required a decisive set. Djokovic was tested in the second and third rounds of this event by Jake Fearnley and Alexei Popyrin, respectively, but now for the first time the 24-time Grand Slam champion is facing an opponent who truly has belief in this matchup.
From a mental standpoint, it’s the kind of showdown that could really inspire Rune to get things going in what has been a mostly lackluster season. The 21-year-old Dane’s third-round contest should help in that department, too, as he stormed back from two sets down to defeat Quentin Halys 1-6, 6-7(4), 6-4, 7-6(4), 6-1. This isn’t Rune’s first rodeo with success at the All-England Club; last year he made a run to the quarterfinals, ousting Grigor Dimitrov in the process before falling to eventual champion Carlos Alcaraz. This could be be Djokovic’s toughest test of the fortnight so far, but it’s hard to bet against him in any Grand Slam situation against anyone other than Alcaraz or Jannik Sinner.
Pick: Djokovic in 5
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(13) Taylor Fritz vs. (4) Alexander Zverev
Fritz is red hot on grass this summer and looking like a legitimate outside contender for the Wimbledon title. The 12th-ranked American is 34-12 for his 2024 campaign, including an awesome 9-1 on grass. He captured the Eastbourne title for the third time in his career and has followed it up with convincing wins at the All-England Club over Christopher O’Connell, Arthur Rinderknech, and Mallorca champion Alejandro Tabilo.
Up next for Fritz is a ninth meeting with Zverev, who leads the head-to-head series 5-3. The fourth-ranked German has won both of their previous Wimbledon tilts, but neither one was easy; he prevailed 6-4, 5-7, 6-7(0), 6-1, 6-2 in 2018 and 6-7(3), 6-4, 6-3, 7-6(4) in 2021. Although Zverev has not dropped a set at this tournament, his draw has been a friendly one (he avoided Jack Draper in the third round) and his third-set tiebreaker against Cameron Norrie on Saturday was a 17-15 thriller. The recent French Open runner-up also sustained a knee injury against Norrie, the extent of which is currently unknown. Regardless, this is a great opportunity for an extremely confident Fritz on a surface that probably gives him an advantage even though both guys are all-court players.
Pick: Fritz in 5
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WWW?
Rune in 5
Zverev in 3, if his knee is good, or 4, 5.
Two great match-ups….I like Rune in 4; Zv in 4.
djoko in 4, fritz in 5
good picks
Tough to read the Djoko match but Zverev in 3 easily
bold call
Go Musetti, Gon Fritz, Go de Min, Go Rune!
Watch them all lose now! 😉
Very funny Margot they might all lose except maybe for one.
Well, I’ve got one right at least! Saw Musetti at Queens, a lovely player, got all the shots and great touch. And his admirable ROS got the better of that massive serve.
One in and De minaur is up 2 sets-1 so maybe 2 or more might win.
Honestly I thought musetti will lose but I don’t know why I thought that, I like and enjoy the way he plays so fun to watch on my phone/TV unfortunately I can’t watch him live I’m in a different continent 😂.
I just didn’t see him defeating G. Mpetshi twice in a roll in just a few weeks.
Anyways, have a great day and enjoy the rest of the matches.
That’s two to me! ONG If De Min hasn’t got a sports pych., he should get one….quick.
3 out of 4. Congrats to me. I see Rune just lost the first set so probably not 4 from 4
Well done Margot 👍, Novak won’t lose this early, this is one of his favorite Slam and I’m rooting for him to win it all.
I don’t know if his knee has recovered fully.
Looking forward to your next picks lol 😂.
Nice one, Margot! Talking about seeing Lorenzo Musetti at Queens 😀
Oh, to have been there too.
congratulations to me!
3 4 and 2 – that has to be one of the worst performances of Rune’s illustrious career…and against a 37 yr old Djokovic recovering from a knee operation. Might be time for a new coach bud.
He seems to be going backwards.
Novak can be delusional.
Fans in all sports have always loved the “u” sound.
Nothing negative …
Load of BS , show me any other place in the world (Paris, Rome, NY ….) where the fans used Ruuuuuune’s name the way stuck up London fans did, even BBC reporter said it and called out that “fans”:
“Sara Thornton
@SaraThornton1
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As I sat on Centre Court I thought there were some absolute jerks in the crowd booing Novak #Djokovic using the disguise of the name Rune… and sadly it became infectious. But as a tennis fan, I’d say that was far outweighed by those delighting in the skillful play on both sides.”