RICKY DIMON’S PICKS AND PREVIEWS FOR THE DAY 1 MEN’S SCHEDULE AT WIMBLEDON 2015

Written by: on 28th June 2015
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RICKY DIMON'S PICKS AND PREVIEWS FOR THE DAY 1 MEN'S SCHEDULE AT WIMBLEDON 2015

Roger Federer, of Switzerland, returns a ball next to his coach Stefan Edberg during a training session for the All England Lawn Tennis Championships Grand Slam tournament in Wimbledon, London, Britain, 28 June 2015. The All England Lawn Tennis Championships will take place from 29 June until 12 July 2015. EPA/PETER KLAUNZER  |

Ricky’s preview and picks for the Day 1 men’s schedule at Wimbledon

 

By Ricky Dimon

 

The top half of the men’s singles draw will take center stage at Wimbledon on Monday, while No. 1 seed Novak Djokovic will have the traditional 1:00 start on Centre Court as the defending champion.

 

A look at some of the marquee matchups on opening day:

 

(1) Novak Djokovic vs. Philipp Kohlschreiber: Kohlschreiber just barely missed out on a Wimbledon seed and to say it cost him dearly would be an understatement. His punishment is a first-round test against Djokovic, the world No. 1 and tournament favorite. Sure you can say it’s a tough draw for the Serb; but it’s obviously a much worse draw for the German.

 

Jarkko Nieminen vs. (WC) Lleyton Hewitt: This is not your average all-unseeded matchup at a Grand Slam. Not only does the winner go up against Djokovic (likely) in round two, but this is also the last Wimbledon for both veterans. Nieminen is retiring at the end of this season and Hewitt is hanging ‘em up after the 2016 Australian Open.

 

(24) Leonardo Mayer vs. Thanasi Kokkinakis: Is it too early to christen Kokkinakis the king of clutch? Maybe so, but the kid has ice water in his veins. Kokk recorded five-set wins from match point down in each of the first two Grand Slams in 2015 (vs. Ernests Gulbis in Melbourne and vs. Bernard Tomic at Roland Garros). Don’t be surprised if he goes the distance again versus Mayer.

 

Lucas Pouille vs. (14) Kevin Anderson: The best news for Anderson is that Tomas Berdych is on the opposite side of the draw! Anderson could face Jerzy Janowicz in round two, but he cannot look past Pouille. The up-and-coming Frenchman has climbed high enough to start gaining direct entry into slams.

 

Go Soeda vs. (17) John Isner: There are two guarantees going into this match. First, Isner will win. Second, he will not require a 70-68 in the fifth set scoreline in order to do so.

 

Martin Klizan vs. Fernando Verdasco: Klizan also had to go up against a Spanish left-hander in last year’s first round. That opponent was none other than Rafael Nadal. Expect the same result: the Spanish player winning in four sets.

 

Simone Bolelli vs (5) Kei Nishikori: Wimbledon has already lost one top 10 seed and the event has not even started yet (David Ferrer withdrew on Sunday). Seeing another one bite the dust would not be a total shock if it’s Nishikori on Monday. The Japanese star has some injury concerns of his own and Bolelli is a difficult first-round opponent.

 

Donald Young vs. Marcos Baghdatis: Speaking of players with calf problems, Baghdatis is a major question mark at the moment. He played well this past week in Nottingham before retiring from a semifinal showdown due to injury. The Cypriot’s game could be the American’s gain.

 

(11) Grigor Dimitrov vs. Federico Delbonis: Delbonis won a clay-court Challenger title in Milan on Sunday. He is playing against Dimitrov at Wimbledon on Monday. You can’t make this stuff up, folks. This match may not last as long as the time it takes Dimitrov to send Delbonis a thank-you card.

 

Lukas Lacko vs. Steve Johnson: There are opportunities in this particular draw for Americans to do some damage. Johnson is no exception. The former USC Trojan should dispose of Lacko before likely running into Dimitrov.

 

(26) Nick Kyrgios vs. Diego Schwartzman: Kyrgios and Milos Raonic are on a collision course for a blockbuster third-round collision at the All-England Club. From a purely fan perspective, let’s hope that matchup becomes a reality. If it does get derailed, Schwartzman won’t be the one to do it.

 

Juan Monaco vs. Florian Mayer: Funky Flo is back at Wimbledon after missing almost an entire year because of hip issues. He will probably have way too much funk on grass for Monaco, who would obviously much rather play this one on clay.

 

Dusan Lajovic vs. Tommy Haas: Haas is another German who is also back. Woohoo! Unfortunately his stay in London may not last too long, as Lajovic is a spring chicken compared to the 500-year-old Haas. But it will good to see Tommy back in Grand Slam action.

 

Ricky contributes to 10sballs.com and also maintains his own tennis website, The Grandstand.

 

Andy Murray, of Great Britain, arrives to his training session for the All England Lawn Tennis Championships Grand Slam tournament in Wimbledon, London, Britain, 28 June 2015. The All England Lawn Tennis Championships will take place from 29 June until 12 July 2015. EPA/PETER KLAUNZER

 

 

Stanislas Wawrinka, of Switzerland, in action during a training session for the All England Lawn Tennis Championships Grand Slam tournament in Wimbledon, London, Britain, 28 June 2015. The All England Lawn Tennis Championships will take place from 29 June until 12 July 2015. EPA/PETER KLAUNZER

 

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