The ATP selections did not go that well on Tuesday, but all four WTA selections returned as winners which has put this week in a very strong position.
The last week at Roland Garros and the first three weeks on the grass have been a very productive time for the Tennis Picks and that has improved the season totals and also provided some momentum to take into Wimbledon.
Wednesday is another busy day in a week when the tournaments are looking for a Saturday finish, but that doesn't mean I have found many matches which fit my criteria. Some of the matches at the WTA Eastbourne tournament are worth taking a watching brief to build a better picture of Wimbledon so both of my selections come from the ATP events in Eastbourne and Antalya.
I hope they go better than the 1-2 record from the ATP Picks on Tuesday.
Andy Murray - 2.5 games v Kyle Edmund: After being off the Tour for almost exactly twelve months it was always going to be tough to know how Andy Murray would be feeling until he got back onto the court. A delay to his return was probably the best decision Murray could have made especially as he has returned to the Tour and looked in very good shape back on the grass courts.
There is little doubt that Murray is one of the best grass court players out there and he hasn't been given a chance to ease into his return having faced Nick Kyrgios and Stan Wawrinka in his two matches. The former World Number 1 has actually surprised himself with how well he has played in those two matches and it will be interesting to see how Murray's body reacts to a second match in three days which is the next step on his recovery to full time tennis.
Murray did admit to feeling sore for 24 hours after his first match back last week in Queens, but that is nothing out of the ordinary when you think of how long he had been off the Tour and not playing competitive tennis.
While his participation in Wimbledon is far from assured at this point, Murray has shown he is very comfortable back on the grass courts. The numbers behind serve have been better than expected and even more impressive has been the way he has returned and I think he puts plenty of pressure on the current British Number 1 Kyle Edmund.
As well as Edmund has played since Murray has been off the Tour it still has to be pointed out that he is not completely at ease on the grass courts. Edmund is a decent returner, but he has not always produced his best serving on the surface and Murray is an opponent who can expose those vulnerabilities.
Make no mistake about it that both players will be desperate to win this one but I do like Murray's superior grass court pedigree to make the difference in a close match. There is the obvious concern about his fitness and whether he is ready to play again after being out on the court on Monday, but Murray sounds happy with his progress and I think he is able to do enough to win this match and cover the number in a tough Second Round match for both players.
Marius Copil v Damir Dzumhur: It is Marius Copil who is Ranked considerably lower than Damir Dzumhur but the layers are right to think that this could be a very tough match to predict. That is because Copil has shown to be much happier on the grass courts compared with Dzumhur and I think a big serving day will help the Romanian move into the Quarter Final at the ATP Antalya event being played this week.
Last year Dzumhur did show some effective serving on the grass courts, but generally it has been a shot that can be vulnerable on this surface. Unlike so many other players on the Tour, Dzumhur can't expect to get a lot of free points behind his serve and that means he has to work much harder to hold onto his serve.
This is only the second match on the grass in 2018, but Dzumhur had his issues holding serve against Grigor Dimitrov who is a big name player, but one who can't be considered a top returner. Prior to 2017 Dzumhur has had some real problems when it comes to the percentage of games where he holds serve and on a surface like and against an opponent like Copil it could be the difference maker.
It does have to be said that Copil's return is not his strength and I do wonder if he will be able to get his teeth into enough return games to put Dzumhur under pressure. He can try and build some scoreboard pressure by serving effectively and making Dzumhur feel a little edgy as he tries to stay with his opponent.
There is no doubt that Dzumhur's return game is what has made him a player that has moved deep within the top 50 in the World Rankings, but he has yet to really find hi groove on that front on the grass courts. Against this serve it may be very difficult for Copil to change that and I am going to back the lower Ranked player to work his way through this match in what has been set as a pick 'em contest.
MY PICKS: Andy Murray - 2.5 Games @ 2.00 Boyle Sports (2 Units)
Marius Copil @ 1.91 Bet Fred (2 Units)
Weekly Update: 9-4, + 8.48 Units (26 Units Staked, + 32.62% Yield)
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