Taylor Fritz and Alexander Zverev are on a collision course for the Wimbledon quarterfinals, but Fritz may have to battle just to make it out of round one. The American is facing Jack Draper, while Alexander Zverev gets underway against Alexander Blockx.
(6) Taylor Fritz vs. Jack Draper
Fritz is no stranger to being dealt rough first-round draws at Wimbledon. Since his debut appearance in 2016, his opening opponents include Stan Wawrinka, John Isner, Tomas Berdych, Brandon Nakashima, Lorenzo Musetti, and Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard. Nonetheless, the 28-year-old American has not exited the All-England Club in round one since his first two trips (losses to Wawrinka and Isner). Fritz made a run to the semifinals last summer and has reached the quarters on two other occasions. His grass-court accomplishments also feature five titles — four of which have come in Eastbourne.
Another brutal draw comes in the form of Draper on Tuesday. This marks their sixth meeting, with Draper leading the head-to-head series 3-2 — including 1-0 on grass (Queen’s Club in 2022). Why are two of the best players on tour colliding in the Wimbledon first round? Well, Draper’s injury problems have continued in a big way — reducing him to just 13 matches this season and a ranking of No. 131 in the world. The 24-year-old Brit returned from a knee issue this past week in Eastbourne and picked up three victories before falling to Ugo Humbert in the semis. Draper is always dangerous, but it’s hard to see him winning this battle with ease — and the physicality of a long match would favor Fritz.
Pick: Fritz in 5
Alexander Blockx vs. (2) Alexander Zverev
The pressure of having never won a Grand Slam title is finally off for Zverev, who triumphed earlier this month at the French Open. That could set him up nicely for additional success at Wimbledon — and being in the half of the draw opposite of Jannik Sinner is obviously a favorable situation, as well. However, the 29-year-old German has never reached the quarterfinals and he has advanced to the fourth round only three times. Zverev’s grass-court preparation included just one event in Halle, where he booked a semifinal spot before falling to Fritz 6-7(4), 6-4, 7-5.
Up first for the world No. 3 on Tuesday is a third showdown against Blockx, who lost both of their previous encounters during the recent clay-court swing — 6-2, 7-5 in the Madrid semis and 6-1, 6-4 immediately thereafter in Rome. The 21-year-old Belgian arrives for his first main-draw appearance at Wimbledon as a major question mark. He has not played since the French Open, where he was forced to withdraw prior to the second round after suffering an ankle injury during practice. Even if Blockx is 100 percent, both rust and an extremely tough first-round opponent will likely put and an end to his tournament in swift fashion.
Pick: Zverev in 3