ROGER FEDERER, GAEL MONFILS, JACK SOCK, IVO KARLOVIC AMONG THOSE IN ACTION ON FIRST DAY AT WIMBLEDON TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIPS 2016

Written by: Staff on 26th June 2016

ROGER FEDERER, GAEL MONFILS, JACK SOCK, IVO KARLOVIC AMONG THOSE IN ACTION ON FIRST DAY AT WIMBLEDON TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIPS 2016

epa05391711 Roger Federer of Switzerland during a training session on the eve of the Wimbledon Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis Club, in London, Britain, 26 June 2016. EPA/HANNAH MCKAY EDITORIAL USE ONLY/NO COMMERCIAL SALES |

By Ricky Dimon

A pair of intriguing contests between countrymen will be part of the schedule at the All-England Club when Wimbledon gets underway on Monday. Fellow Frenchmen Gael Monfils and Jeremy Chardy are squaring off, while an all-Croat showdown will see Ivo Karlovic go up against Borna Coric. Jack Sock and Ernests Gulbis are also in action.

Ricky previews three of the best men’s singles matches on Monday and makes his picks:

(17) Gael Monfils vs. Jeremy Chardy

Gael Monfils of France returns to compatriot Gilles Simon in their third round match during the Wimbledon Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis Club, in London, Britain, 04 July 2015. EPA/ANDY RAIN

Monfils and Chardy will be squaring off for the third time in their careers and for the first time in seven years when they meet in the Wimbledon first round. Monfils is leading the head-to-head series 2-0 after prevailing 7-6(2), 7-6(6) in the final of the 2008 Marrakech Challenger and 6-1, 6-4, 6-3 in the U.S. Open first round one season later. After facing each other on clay and a hard court, the two Frenchmen will now be doing battle on grass.

Although neither man is a specialist on any surface, the green stuff is probably less advantageous for Monfils. He is a mediocre 11-7 lifetime at the All-England Club and has never advanced past the third round. The 17th seed will be making his first appearance since the Rome Masters, having skipped the French Open because of a virus. Chardy turned in a third-round performance at Roland Garros, where he ultimately succumbed to Stan Wawrinka in straight sets. The world No. 34 is 14-14 for the year after losing his only grass-court warmup match to Jiri Vesely 7-6(3), 6-7(5), 6-4 at Queen’s Club. When healthy, Monfils has been focused, motivated, and productive in 2016 and should be eager to get back on track following his ill-timed layoff.

Pick: Monfils in 4

(27) Jack Sock vs. Ernests Gulbis

Sock and Gulbis will be facing each other for the first time in their careers. This is a showdown between two competitors with undeniable talent who are prone to bouts of inconsistency and prefer playing on clay or hard courtsas opposed to grass. Gulbis, for example, reached the Roland Garros quarterfinals in 2008 and the semis in 2014 while also making a fourth-round run at the U.S. Open in 2007, but he has advanced past the second round at the All-England Club only once (in 2013) and even then he lost in the last 32. The Latvian had been in dreadful form this season prior to the French Open but suddenly played well and also benefited from Jo-Wilfried Tsonga’s retirement to book a spot in the second week.

Sock’s Roland Garros campaign was all lined up to be a great one thanks to a favorable draw. The world No. 26 went up against Albert Ramos-Vinolas in the last 32 for the right to meet a less-than-100 percent Milos Raonic, but Sock bowed out to the Spaniard in five sets (Ramos-Vinolas ended up rolling over Raonic in straights to reach the quarters). The American is a former Wimbledon doubles champion (2014, with Vasek Pospisil), but he is just 1-2 in singles at the All-England Club. This is a good opportunity for Sock to pick up a somewhat rare grass-court win.

Pick: Sock in 5

Borna Coric vs. (23) Ivo Karlovic

Ivo Karlovic of Croatia returns to Andy Murray of Britain in their fourth round match during the Wimbledon Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis Club, in London, Britain, 06 July 2015. EPA/ANDY RAIN

Coric and Karlovic could be teammates when Croatia pays a visit to the United States for Davis Cup quarterfinal action next month. For now, though, they will be foes in the Wimbledon opening round. The two Croats have previously collided on one occasion, when Karlovic got the job done 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 on the clay of Bucharest in 2015. Coric’s momentum has stalled just a little bit since his breakout on tour in the fall of 2014 and early in 2015, but he still registers at a decent 49th in the rankings. The 19-year-old is an even 16-16 this season and is coming off a tough opening-round loss to David Goffin in Halle in three tight sets.

Karlovic, of course, will be happy to be playing on grass. The world No. 31 is a former Wimbledon quarterfinalist (2009) and he reached the fourth round last season. In his first-ever match at the All-England Club, Karlovic famously stunned defending champion Lleyton Hewitt in 2003. Injuries have been a problem for the 37-year-old of late, but he advanced to the third round at Roland Garros and compiled a decent 3-2 record at a pair of grass-court tournaments earlier this month in ‘s-Hertogenbosch and Halle. On this surface, Karlovic should ride his incredibly huge serve to a hard-fought victory over his much younger countryman.

Pick: Karlovic in 4