A marquee second Monday schedule includes a showdown between familiar foes Roger Federer and Grigor Dimitrov. Milos Raonic and Alexander Zverev are also aiming for a place in the Wimbledon quarterfinals.
(13) Grigor Dimitrov vs. (3) Roger Federer
Federer and Dimitrov will be going head-to-head for the sixth time in their careers when they collide on middle Monday at Wimbledon with a spot in the quarterfinals at stake. All five of their previous encounters have gone Federer’s way–all on hard courts dating back to the fall of 2013. They have not faced each other since a pair of showdowns early in 2016, when Dimitrov took sets off Federer for the first time in his career. Still, the Swiss prevailed 6-4, 6-7(4), 6-4 in Brisbane and 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 at the Australian Open.
This may not be the time nor the place for Dimitrov to turn the tide. After all, Federer is a seven-time Wimbledon champion and he is an amazing 27-2 this season. The 35-year-old Swiss has held a match point every single time he has taken the court in 2017, with competitive losses only to Evgeny Donskoy (Dubai) and Tommy Haas (Stuttgart). A recent champion in Halle, Federer has extended his winning streak to eight matches–and 18 straight sets–with victories this fortnight over Alexandr Dolgopolov, Dusan Lajovic, and Mischa Zverev. Dimitrov booked his spot in the fourth round by getting past Diego Schwartzman, Marcos Baghdatis, and Dudi Sela without dropping a set. The 11th-ranked Bulgarian remains in stellar form after a torrid start to the year, but the competition level ratchets up dramatically on Monday and Federer may be too tough for him on Centre Court at the All-England Club.
Pick: Federer in 4
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(6) Milos Raonic vs. (10) Alexander Zverev
Raonic and Zverev will be squaring off for just the second time in their careers but also for the second time in the span of a few months. The two big hitters recently collided on the red clay of Rome, where Zverev got the job done 7-6(4), 6-1 en route to the biggest title of his career. Although the 12th-ranked German ended up losing in the French Open first round to Fernando Verdasco, he is back on track on grass. Zverev reached the ‘s-Hertogenbosch semifinals, finishes runner-up to Federer in Halle, and punched his ticket to the second week at Wimbledon by rolling over Donskoy, Frances Tiafoe, and Sebastian Ofner all in straight sets.
Raonic has been less impressive this season in part due to physical problems, but a fortnight at the All-England Club has always been just what the doctor ordered for the seventh-ranked Canadian. He is 19-6 lifetime at this tournament and is defending finalist points from last summer (beat Federer in the semis before falling to Andy Murray). Raonic is 4-0 in tiebreakers through three rounds and dropped only one set in taking out Jan-Lennard Struff, Mikhail Youzhny, and Albert Ramos-Vinolas. More huge serving and clutch play in crucial moments should carry the 26-year-old past his on-the-rise but less-experienced opponent.
Pick: Raonic in 4
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