Monday it finally starts, the main draw of the 2026 Wimbledon Championships, and it’s time to bring out the popcorn already in the first round as we have some great matchups. Let’s look at some of them.
Fritz v Draper
This is an absolute nightmare of a first-round draw for both men, with big implications for the bottom half of the bracket. Jack Draper is unseeded as he continues to rebuild his ranking after a brutal year sidelined by arm and knee injuries, but he has shown in Eastbourne that he is dangerous on grass already, especially with Andy Murray now officially cornering for him.
He matches up against the 7th-seeded Taylor Fritz, who holds massive grass momentum, reached finals in both Stuttgart and Halle. Among many the best grass court player on tour. Draper actually leads their head-to-head 3–2, making this an early-week popcorn match that could legitimately go the distance. These two were top-five seeds at the 2025 Wimbledon.
Fritz is the bookies favorite but not an overwhelming one, at odds around 1.70 (-143).
Kokkinakis v Bublik
This could be an entertaining match with both trick shots and strong serves, even if it’s the World no 11 vs the World no 492.
Bublik’s game is quite volatile on grass and now he’s up against a strong server that won their only previous meeting back in 2018. Kokkinakis has been making his way back on tour following injury issues but he loves the big stage so it will be interesting to see what he can come up with here.
Berrettini v Wawrinka
These two fan favorites have never faced each other on the ATP tour, and their first meeting comes in a Grand Slam opener at SW19. Stan Wawrinka is making what is expected to be his final, nostalgic farewell to the All England Club, bringing his legendary one-handed backhand to the grass one last time. Across the net stands Matteo Berrettini, the 2021 finalist and the only former Wimbledon finalist in the entire bottom half of the draw.
Berrettini’s strong serve and game is well suited for grass and he could have been one of the favorites for the trophy in London if it wasn’t for all the injuries that never seem to stop. A must watch game in the first round surely.
Hurkacz v Ruud
A clash of contrasting styles. Hurkacz is a former semi-finalist here whose game is practically tailor-made for grass, relying on a devastating first serve and smooth movement for a big man. His form is not great though and he would need a good tournament in London to get back on track.
On the other side, Casper Ruud has famously joked about his dislike for the green stuff (once saying grass is for golf), but the Norwegian is a proper professional who has been steadily improving his fast-court transition. Any wins in the grass court season is kind of a bonus for Ruud.
Blockx v Zverev
Alexander Zverev enters SW19 riding high as the newly crowned Roland Garros champion and the No. 2 seed, anchoring the bottom half of the draw. However, his opening test is far from a walk in the park. He faces Belgium’s rising sensation, Alexander Blockx, the former junior World No. 1 who has had a massive breakthrough season, including a run to the Madrid Open semi-finals where he knocked out Casper Ruud.
While Zverev defeated the young Belgian in both Madrid and Rome earlier this year, Blockx’s fearless game could make it at least tighter than what the odds suggest, where the German pays around 1.06 for a win.
Cilic v Medvedev
Daniil Medvedev might have reached the semi-finals here before, but he arrives with mixed form and does not look all confident. The 37-year-old Croatian veteran and 2017 Wimbledon runner-up loves these courts (34-14 historical record at SW19) and will like his chances to progress. They faced off on grass a few weeks ago, a tight three-setter won by Medvedev, and their only previous Wimbledon meeting was a tough five-set epic back in 2021. An interesting match where Medvedev still is expected to win.
Check also our Wimbledon best bets ahead of the tournament start.