Wimbledon Tennis Day 4 Picks 2024 (Thursday 4th July)

The European 'summer' has not been the most impressive and both Grand Slams in Paris and London have been impacted by the poorer weather.

The forecast over the next few days will make the Wimbledon organisers a little nervous, especially if they are not willing to change the time they start matches on both Centre Court and Court One, the only two with roofs to keep matches ticking over.

Conditions are far from ideal for the players too with the quick changes between warm days and wet days changing how the courts are playing.

At least Day 4 looks nicer all around and will help to try and get the tournament back on schedule having see some First Round matches held back into Day 3 and the potential for some Second Round matches needed to be completed before the same players have to go out on Day 5 when the Third Round begins.

Alexander Zverev - 5.5 games v Marcos Giron: It was slightly odd to hear Alexander Zverev suggest he has played at Wimbledon in previous years with little expectation of having a long stay in the tournament.

This has perhaps contributed to a relatively poor record at this Grand Slam and especially considering we have seen Alexander Zverev play well enough in Halle to believe he should be more competitive on the grass courts. He has only reached the Fourth Round twice, but Zverev is playing in the bottom half of the draw and will be expecting to reach his first Quarter Final in SW19 at the very least.

He reached the French Open Final last month and was close to winning a maiden Grand Slam, and a run to the Semi Final in Halle means he has plenty of grass court tennis under the feet. Alexander Zverev was a comfortable First Round winner at Wimbledon and he will be considered a strong favourite to see off Marcos Giron, although some care has to be taken around this Second Round match.

The American is a solid, if unspectacular, grass court player and that means Marcos Giron will be confident of taking advantage of an opponent that is not reaching the level expected.

Marcos Giron reached the Quarter Final in Halle and he has held 90% of his service games played on the grass prior to this Grand Slam. He has upset Holger Rune at Wimbledon in the past too so this is not going to be an easy player to dismiss, especially after Marcos Giron found a way to come from a set behind to beat a British player in the First Round.

This will still feel like a step upwards for Marcos Giron, who has lost his sole previous match against Alexander Zverev. That was also in a Grand Slam event at the Australian Open, but the first two sets were incredibly competitive and we could see something similar here.

However, it was Alexander Zverev who eventually took full control of that First Round match in Melbourne in February 2021 and the German should have the serving prowess to keep Giron under pressure.

Alexander Zverev's break percentage in grass matches over the last month has been pretty disappointing, but scoreboard pressure can be built up in this Second Round match and the final scoreline might look like it was an 'easy' win for the World Number 4, even after an actual competitive match.

Holger Rune - 5.5 games v Thiago Seyboth Wild: His first season on the grass was extremely forgettable, but Holger Rune knows he has the tennis to be dangerous on the surface and that is underlined by his run to the Quarter Final at Wimbledon in 2023.

Preparation for the tournament was pretty disappointing, although Rune was a very comfortable First Round winner and he is going to be expected to be too strong for Thiago Seyboth Wild.

The Brazilian is much happier on the clay courts, and that is the surface on which Thiago Seyboth Wild wins the majority of his numbers and certainly plays his best tennis. He has won matches on the grass courts, but finding the consistency on the surface has been beyond Seyboth Wild in the past and he has already invested plenty of himself to earn a spot in the Second Round at Wimbledon.

In the First Round, Thiago Seyboth Wild trailed home hope Paul Jubb by two sets and he was a couple of points away from defeat on a few occasions in the third set. Somehow he found a way to win the tie-breaker, but Thiago Seyboth Wild had to spend over four hours on court and the physical and emotional effort needed to win that First Round match may mean there is not a lot left in the tank.

Holger Rune will be looking to take advantage of that and at the same time continue his serene progress at Wimbledon ahead of bigger challenges in the draw.

His Fourth Round loss in Paris would have been a blow, but Holger Rune is still going to have enough all around tennis to believe he can get the better of this opponent. The expectation is that Rune will be able to get his teeth into a few more return games, as he did in the First Round, while the 21 year old is able to get the most out of his serve on this surface.

Thiago Seyboth Wild has nothing to lose and should be competitive early, but he might have been well beaten in the First Round if Jubb had converted his chances in the third set tie-breaker and Holger Rune is expected to be too good for him in this Second Round contest.

Lorenzo Musetti - 1.5 sets v Luciano Darderi: Two Italian players have been playing in the Second Round at Wimbledon on Wednesday and two more will be facing off in the same Round, albeit this time on Thursday.

Jannik Sinner and Matteo Berrettini would have arrived at Wimbledon with genuine ambitions to win the title, but the same cannot really be said for Luciano Darderi.

The World Number 37 has had a fantastic year on the Tour and reached a new career high World Ranking mark last month, but playing on the grass courts is still a work in progress for Darderi. He will be inspired by the successes that some of his compatriots have had on the grass, but this may be something of a learning experience for him.

Lorenzo Musetti reached the Final at Queen's Club last month and he was also a Semi Finalist in Stuttgart- these runs have bettered his performances in 2023 when Musetti reached the Quarter Final at both of those events and he will certainly feel he can surpass the Third Round run at Wimbledon this time around.

It has been an inconsistent twelve months for Lorenzo Musetti who has slipped ten places in the World Rankings, although the runs over the last month have just reversed some of the slippage. Confidence is not a problem, but Musetti has just perhaps hit a wall after strong moves early in his career.

He came from a set down to win his First Round match, although it should be noted that Lorenzo Musetti's grass court numbers are not quite as good in 2024 as they were last year, despite the superior results this season. He is still playing at a good level though and it should be one that is too much for Luciano Darderi to handle.

Luciano Darderi certainly showed his character in winning his First Round match in five sets against a player that would have received plenty of support from the home crowd. However, beating the World Number 174 is a much different task to beating a Seeded player in the Second Round at Wimbledon and Lorenzo Musetti will be given further confidence having beaten his compatriot on a clay court in May.

The win was close on the scoreboard, but Lorenzo Musetti had a considerable edge in terms of the performance and he is the superior grass court player of the two.

While sets are expected to be competitive, Lorenzo Musetti should be able to find a way past his compatriot in three or four sets into the Third Round for a second year in a row.

Ons Jabeur - 4.5 games v Robin Montgomery: A two time Wimbledon Finalist, recent years have been difficult for Ons Jabeur in coming so close to winning a Grand Slam title but falling short. Losing Finals here in 2022 and 2023 hurt, especially the last defeat and the soon to be 30 year old may feel the window is potentially closing to become a Grand Slam Champion.

If Ons Jabeur had been in the bottom half of the draw, you would perhaps make her favourite to reach the Final in SW19 for a third time in a row.

However, she is unfortunately in the tougher top half of the section and Ons Jabeur has been struggling for some consistency on the court with injuries perhaps contributing to that. Two years ago she was the World Number 2, but this year Jabeur enters the tournament as the World Number 10, although this is a player that will have some aura when she enters the courts at Wimbledon and others may yet have to deal with that as much as Ons Jabeur herself.

A relatively easy win in the First Round will have given the Tunisian some confidence and her numbers had been impressive on the grass courts over the last month before an injury forced a mid-match withdrawal against Coco Gauff in Berlin.

It certainly suggests Ons Jabeur is still playing at a level that will be tough for Robin Montgomery to deal with and especially with her relative lack of experience of playing on this surface.

The 19 year old American is the current World Number 161, but Montgomery did reach the Quarter Final in a couple of grass court events in preparation for playing at Wimbledon. Those runs have given Robin Montgomery some confidence and enough to see her through three Qualifying Rounds before a First Round win, although it should be pointed out that the left hander has not beaten any opponent Ranked inside the top 100 at this Grand Slam.

She did manage to beat some of the top 100 Ranked players in the pre-Wimbledon tournaments, but this is a huge task for Robin Montgomery against someone who has enjoyed playing at this Grand Slam as much as Ons Jabeur.

That knowledge will certainly give Ons Jabeur the edge in this Second Round contest and the feeling is that she will put the pressure on Robin Montgomery to break her down, and eventually come through with some comfort.

MY PICKS: Alexander Zverev - 5.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet365 (2 Units)

Holger Rune - 5.5 Games @ 1.66 Bet365 (2 Units)

Lorenzo Musetti - 1.5 Sets @ 1.66 Paddy Power (2 Units)

Ons Jabeur - 4.5 Games @ 1.83 Bet Fred (2 Units)

Jessica Pegula - 4.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet Victor (2 Units)

Wimbledon Update: 9-4, + 8.22 Units (26 Units Staked, + 31.62% Yield)

Wimbledon Tennis Day 2 Picks 2023 (July 4th)

The heat of June has been replaced with wetter and cooler conditions to open July in London and we saw the rain have an impact on the Day 1 schedule with a number of matches having to be carried over into Day 2.

Those making the schedule could be under some pressure by the end of Tuesday with another wet day expected, perhaps having even more rain than we saw on Monday. It looks a busy order of play already, but any significant break in play will mean First Round matches are likely going to have to be completed on Wednesday.

Some of the players in the draw will already have to play on back to back days if they are able to win on Tuesday with the Second Round scheduled to begin on Wednesday, but the organisers will be hoping much of the rain misses the grounds.

Those playing on the two main show courts will be able to play matches under a roof and so a potential fourth match could be scheduled for Centre Court and Court One if the earlier matches are completed in good time. Matches can be played late into the evening under the roof, and that could be important with up to five matches scheduled on some of the other courts around the grounds.

In the main Day 1 produced very little in terms of headline grabbing results, but the Coco Gauff defeat late in the day against Sofia Kenin was a genuine upset. I believed this was a good tournament for Coco Gauff to make another run towards a Grand Slam Final, but it was also good to see Sofia Kenin producing the kind of tennis that led to the Australian Open title in January 2020.

Most of the top names were able to move through to the Second Round without too much fuss and the attention will turn to the top half of the Gentlemen's draw and the bottom half of the Ladies draw on Day 2.

The defending Ladies Champion opens Centre Court and there are a host of big names playing throughout the day, which can only be a positive for the fans in attendance and those tuning in on the television.

It was a mixed start to the tournament for the Wimbledon Tennis Picks, but it would have felt much better if Petra Martic had a few more minutes to complete her win. Her opponent picked up a serious looking injury at the end of the second set, but Martic was around five points from a place in the Second Round before the retirement was confirmed.

A number of the selections from Monday will have to be completed on Tuesday and most of those are scheduled to go on second, so should have the time to get through between the showers.

Unlike other Grand Slams this season, there seem to be a few more early Picks that have fit into my criteria, and I will be looking for a strong end to the First Round even if some of these selections are not expected to play until Wednesday under the current forecast.

Andy Murray - 7.5 games v Ryan Peniston: The Quarter Final loss at Wimbledon to Sam Querrey as his body let him down in 2017 would have really hurt Andy Murray who had entered that tournament as the top Seed. Injuries and a potential retirement has meant it has been a long road back for Murray since that defeat six years ago and he did not play again at Wimbledon until 2021, and the former two time Champion has not been beyond the Third Round since that defeat to Querrey.

He is at the stage of his career where managing the health is more important than the World Ranking, but Andy Murray had been keen on earning a Seeding here. Ten straight grass court wins after choosing to miss the French Open had given Murray a chance of doing that, but an early loss at Queen's Club means entering Wimbledon as the World Number 40.

Being unseeded means having to potentially face Novak Djokovic in the First Round, but Andy Murray has been given a pretty kind section with a potential match against Stefanos Tsitsipas in the Second Round. Andy Murray still insists that he is very capable of winning Wimbledon for a third time, and he is in the opposite half of the draw to the man he beat in the 2013 Wimbledon Final.

You have to believe that Andy Murray is pretty happy with the First Round draw against fellow British player Ryan Peniston who has had a couple of decent years on the grass, but who has struggled for consistency overall. He is now Ranked well outside the top 200 and the southpaw has a big gap to bridge if he is going to upset the odds in his debut on Centre Court.

Losses to the likes of Holger Rune and Jason Kubler are not very encouraging and Ryan Peniston will know he is going to have to have a very big serving day if he is going to beat Andy Murray.

The latter has put his wins together against weaker opponents Ranking-wise, but that should be the case in this First Round match. Andy Murray has really found an effective return on the grass this year and he has broken in 39% of return games played so he has to be expected to put Ryan Peniston under pressure once working through the rhythm of facing a left hander.

The Andy Murray serve can be a little hit and miss, but it has been an important weapon for him on the grass over the last month and he should be able to largely contain the Ryan Peniston threat. And while he will have some sympathy for his opponent as a compatriot, Andy Murray will not want to have to exert too much energy to get through this match and will be looking to go through the gears ahead of a potentially huge Second Round match in a couple of days time.

After being a long-time kingpin of British Tennis, Andy Murray has lost his last two matches to countrymen, but he should be able to exert much more authority in this one as he covers a big handicap mark.

Carlos Alcaraz - 9.5 games v Jeremy Chardy: The first thing you have to accept is that this is a very big spread and it will need a largely clean performance from the favourite to cover it.

Much like a famous fellow Spaniard, Carlos Alcaraz does come off as someone who is not going to coast through matches and will try and battle for every point and it has seen him win every First Round match he has played at Grand Slams.

No one will doubt what Carlos Alcaraz is capable of achieving on the clay courts and hard courts, but it still feels like the grass is a work in progress for the young superstar. Winning at Queen's Club will have given Carlos Alcaraz a lot of belief, especially as the closest he has come to losing in the First Round of a Grand Slam has been at Wimbledon.

Carlos Alcaraz has only dropped sets in three First Round Grand Slam matches and two of those matches have been at Wimbledon. In fact, it should be noted that Alcaraz has needed five sets in each of his two previous appearances at this Grand Slam to work his way through the First Round and he will have to have a healthy respect for the ability of Jeremy Chardy on this surface.

Injuries have seen Jeremy Chardy's Ranking drop outside the top 500 and he will be playing on a Protected Ranking in this tournament- the reality is that the Frenchman could not have asked for too many tougher tests and Chardy is going to be under pressure to serve at an incredibly high level if he is going to remain competitive.

Jeremy Chardy is 1-4 against top 20 Ranked opponents in the First Round at Wimbledon, but you have to credit this player for taking at least one set in four of those matches. He was blown away by Novak Djokovic in 2011, but Chardy pushed former Finalists Andy Roddick and Tomas Berdych (twice) in First Round matches and so any unfocused performance from Carlos Alcaraz could see him struggle.

The Frenchman did win a match at the Australian Open after returning from an injury that had seen Chardy off the Tour since the US Open in 2021, but he was well beaten by Dan Evans in the Second Round. Jeremy Chardy has just struggled to keep the intensity up on the serve and this feels like it could be the case on Court One when he takes on Carlos Alcaraz on Day 2 at The Championships.

Once again it should be said that this is a big spread, but Carlos Alcaraz can make a pretty strong statement by wearing down Jeremy Chardy over the course of a couple of hours on the court.

Lorenzo Sonego - 1.5 sets v Matteo Berrettini: In 2019 Matteo Berrettini seemingly came out of nowhere to show he is a solid grass court player having won a title in Stuttgart and then reached the Fourth Round at Wimbledon before losing to Roger Federer. Things got better in 2021 when the Italian was able to win the title at Queen's Club before reaching the Final at Wimbledon and falling a little short against Novak Djokovic.

After winning two more titles in Stuttgart and Queen's Club in 2022, Matteo Berrettini would have looking forward to going into another Wimbledon tournament, but was ruled out with Covid on the eve of the event starting.

Injuries have been a major issue for Matteo Berrettini over the last twelve months and he has played little tennis in 2023 as those have continued to hold back the World Number 38. Getting back to the kinds of levels he has shown previously is going to be a massive challenge for Matteo Berrettini and he was extremely upset after losing in the First Round in Stuttgart last month in the sole grass court tournament he has been able to enter.

That defeat came against compatriot Lorenzo Sonego and it is the same player that is facing Matteo Berrettini in the First Round at Wimbledon.

He might not have reached the kinds of levels that Berrettini has on the grass courts, but Lorenzo Sonego has shown he is more than capable of performing on the surface and has had some solid runs at Wimbledon before. Those have been ended by Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, but Sonego is comfortable on the grass courts even if the last month has been a touch inconsistent.

Breaking his losing run to Matteo Berrettini will have given Lorenzo Sonego confidence, but he will also know he lost a very close match to Berrettini in Stuttgart last year. Those two previous encounters on the grass courts will give Lorenzo Sonego a lot of confidence and you have to wonder if Matteo Berrettini has enough in the tank to change the result from last month.

Lorenzo Sonego has found a way to create Break Points against Matteo Berrettini in both grass court meetings and the feeling is that he will frank the form of the win in Stuttgart by beating his fellow Italian in three or four sets as Berrettini continues to work his way back onto the Tour.

Alexander Zverev - 6.5 games v Gijs Brouwer: A five set loss to Felix Auger-Aliassime was the outcome of Alexander Zverev's last appearance at Wimbledon having missed 2021 with an injury.

That was suffered at the French Open thirteen months ago and Alexander Zverev has had some inconsistent results on his return. However, the run to the French Open Semi Final will have given Zverev a lot of confidence and he did work his way through to the Semi Final in Halle in preparation for the next Grand Slam of the season.

This now the only Grand Slam in which Alexander Zverev has failed to reach the Quarter Final, but he does have the tennis to be very successful on the grass courts. In a Wimbledon where there are not a deep crop of contenders on the surface, Alexander Zverev could be someone who can take advantage of being in the opposite side of the draw to Novak Djokovic.

He will need to return more efficiently to have a strong run at Wimbledon, while Alexander Zverev has to expect Gijs Brouwer to be prepared immediately having come through three Qualifiers.

The Dutchman is also a left hander, which can be awkward to deal with on a grass court, and Gijs Brouwer has strong serving numbers on the grass courts, even in the limited time he has spent on the surface.

Those wins in Qualifying will have given Brouwer confidence, but he had lost all three previous grass court matches in 2023 and he had been struggling in all aspects of his tennis. To make it worse, Gijs Brouwer has been losing matches to opponents Ranked outside of the top 69 and two of those defeats were to players that were not Ranked inside the top 100.

As long as Alexander Zverev comes out and serves well, he can build scoreboard pressure in this First Round match. The long levers of the World Number 21 should mean Alexander Zverev can begin to get enough balls back into court to increase the pressure on Brouwer and the German can cover this handicap line.

MY PICKS: Andy Murray - 7.5 Games @ 2.10 Paddy Power (2 Units)

Carlos Alcaraz - 9.5 Games @ 2.00 Bet365 (2 Units)

Lorenzo Sonego - 1.5 Sets @ 2.10 Paddy Power (2 Units)

Alexander Zverev - 6.5 Games @ 1.83 Bet365 (2 Units)

Ugo Humbert - 1.5 Sets @ 2.25 Paddy Power (2 Units)

Frances Tiafoe - 5.5 Games @ 1.87 Bet Victor (2 Units)

Grigor Dimitrov - 7.5 Games @ 1.85 Coral (2 Units)

Holger Rune - 7.5 Games @ 1.85 Coral (2 Units)

Daniil Medvedev - 9.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet365 (2 Units)

Tommy Paul - 7.5 Games @ 2.05 Bet Victor (2 Units)

Cameron Norrie - 6.5 Games @ 1.91 Coral (2 Units)

Christopher Eubanks - 1.5 Sets @ 1.66 Paddy Power (2 Units)

Sebastian Korda - 6.5 Games @ 2.10 Paddy Power (2 Units)

Maxime Cressy - 1.5 Sets @ 2.37 Paddy Power (2 Units)

Stefanos Tsitsipas - 5.5 Games @ 2.00 Paddy Power (2 Units)

Ekaterina Alexandrova - 4.5 Games @ 2.00 Bet365 (2 Units)

Barbora Krejcikova - 4.5 Games @ 1.83 Bet365 (2 Units)

Maria Sakkari - 3.5 Games @ 1.72 Bet365 (2 Units)

Madison Keys - 4.5 Games @ 1.80 Coral (2 Units)

Katie Boulter - 3.5 Games @ 1.72 Bet365 (2 Units)

Alize Cornet - 4.5 Games @ 2.10 Paddy Power (2 Units)

Shelby Rogers + 5.5 Games @ 1.85 Bet Victor (2 Units)

Wimbledon Update: 6-5, + 0.20 Units (22 Units Staked, + 1% Yield)

Wimbledon Tennis Day 8 Picks 2022 (July 4th)

The first Middle Sunday of play is in the history books and we are going to have the Quarter Final line up completed at Wimbledon on Day 8 of the tournament.

Alex De Minaur - 6.5 games v Cristian Garin: The run to the Fourth Round has been much more unexpected for Cristian Garin than it has for Alex De Minaur and I do think the Australian is going to be the one to earn a maiden Quarter Final at Wimbledon.

Alex De Minaur has previously reached that stage at the US Open so may feel more experienced, while there is no doubting that he is the more comfortable on the grass courts of the two players. His wins in the first three Rounds have come behind some strong numbers, although there is still an inefficiency when it comes to playing the big points that is likely going to prevent Alex De Minuar from replicating Lleyton Hewitt and winning the title here.

It has been a problem for him in playing the break points in the warm up events for Wimbledon and he has needed a lot more break point chances than he is giving away before service games are dropped. That has to be a concern whenever you back Alex De Minuar to cover a big number on the handicap, but I do think he has an additional mental edge with the head to head against this opponent.

He has yet to drop a set against Cristian Garin who has surprisingly made his way through the Wimbledon draw. The Chilean did reach the Fourth Round at Wimbledon in 2021, but he had shown little form over the last month on the grass courts and it has also been a difficult season in general for Cristian Garin which made it very difficult to imagine him still being around in the second week of the tournament.

Cristian Garin has been serving well in the tournament and that has to be respected, while the return game has also been very efficient with breaks being produced from the chances being created. While has broken six times in each of his three matches here, Cristian Garin has only created sixteen break points for his twelve breaks of serve in the last two matches and those tight margins could go against him in this Fourth Round match.

In the three previous matches between Alex De Minaur and Cristian Garin, the former has won all three and has yet to drop a set. Alex De Minaur beat Cristian Garin at the US Open in 2019 and will have an additional mental edge in this match having beaten Garin in Eastbourne on the grass courts a couple of weeks ago.

The higher Ranked player has had a significant edge on the serving numbers in the head to head and I think that will show up in this Fourth Round match. While Alex De Minaur has held in 87% of service games played against Cristian Garin, the latter has only managed to do the same in 57% of service games.

Last month in Eastbourne, Alex De Minaur won 49% of return points played in their grass match up and I do think the Australian will prove too good as he moves through to the Quarter Final behind a relatively straight-forward win.

Rafael Nadal - 6.5 games v Botic Van de Zandschlup: For the second Grand Slam tournament in succession, Rafael Nadal and Botic Van de Zandschlup will be facing one another.

After a relatively comfortable win for Rafael Nadal on the clay courts of Roland Garros, Botic Van de Zandschlup has to feel the grass courts level the playing field somewhat. He might have felt much more confident if this match had been played before the last Round when Rafael Nadal looked close to his very best grass court form in beating Lorenzo Sonego, but even with that in mind the Queens Semi Finalist has to be feeling good about his tennis.

Botic Van de Zandschlup managed to do enough to contain Richard Gasquet in the Third Round having won a pivotal third set on the tie-breaker, but there will be a slight concern that he lost his way with his serve in that match. The Dutchman saw his serve broken four times by a veteran of the Tour who has slipped from the standards he once produced, and that is a concern ahead of a match with someone like Rafael Nadal who put together his best win of the tournament in the last Round as he builds to peak in time for the Final on Sunday.

In previous Wimbledon campaigns, we have seen a player being able to hit through the Rafael Nadal defences on the grass courts and someone like Botic Van de Zandschlup certainly has a chance of doing that. The big question is whether he can do that for long enough to upset the former Champion and I am not entirely convinced that can be done.

Rafael Nadal will be the first to admit that he has not played as well as he would have liked in the first two Rounds, but the much improved performance in the Third Round is encouraging. That came against an opponent who would have looked to be very aggressive and put the pressure on Rafael Nadal, but Lorenzo Sonego did not enjoy much success.

The Nadal serve looks to be improving as the tournament progresses and he has been returning well enough to believe he will be able to get into the Botic Van de Zandschlup service games as he did when they met on the clay courts of Paris.

The numbers of the two players look to suggest that Rafael Nadal is improving in each passing Round and things are getting more and more challenging for Botic Van de Zandschlup. I think that will show up in this one with Rafael Nadal likely to create enough break points to position himself to cover this handicap mark as he returns to the Wimbledon Quarter Final and keep alive the dreams of a calendar Grand Slam.

MY PICKS: Alex De Minaur - 6.5 Games @ 1.83 Bet Victor (2 Units)

Rafael Nadal - 6.5 Games @ 1.83 Bet Victor (2 Units)

Nick Kyrgios - 4.5 Games @ 1.75 Bet Victor (2 Units)

Taylor Fritz - 5.5 Games @ 1.91 Bet Fred (2 Units)

Alize Cornet - 1.5 Games @ 1.91 Paddy Power (2 Units)

Petra Martic + 3.5 Games @ 1.83 Paddy Power (2 Units)

Simona Halep - 3.5 Games @ 2.00 Bet Fred (2 Units)

Amanda Anisimova - 4.5 Games @ 2.00 Bet Fred (2 Units)

Wimbledon 2022: 43-38, + 4.84 Units (162 Units Staked, + 2.99% Yield)

Weekend Football Picks and Fantasy Football 2020 (July 4-6)

The Premier League title may have been decided, but the race for the top four places has heated up thanks to results this past week.

Even the chase for the European places look likely to go down to the wire, while I think it is difficult to pick the three clubs you believe will be relegated with any kind of confidence. Norwich City look like they have left things too late, but the next month is going to be busy and with big games to be played every few days.

That is something that could be an issue for the FPL players particularly with the depth of squad that some of the top teams have. It is unprecedented times, but I will come onto my thoughts for GW33+ when I get my thoughts about this weekend's Premier League games out of the way first.


Norwich City v Brighton Pick: This is a very big game for bot Norwich City and Brighton with the three points on offer vital in their bids to avoid relegation.

Norwich City are 7 points from safety and look to be cut off now, but a win might just give the players a shot in the arm with five more games to play. The next three games are all against clubs in 15th or lower in the Premier League table so this is the last chance saloon for Daniel Farke's men who will likely have to target three wins if they want to have any chance of avoiding relegation.

Four points from a possible nine since the resumption of the Premier League has given Brighton a gap to the bottom three that may already be too big for those below them to bridge. A 6 point lead to the bottom three is a positive for Graham Potter's team, but Brighton have a difficult looking fixture list and the manager has to be targeting a win that would likely be enough to secure Premier League Football for another season.

Brighton have shown a little resiliency in recent games prior to the 0-3 defeat to Manchester United on Tuesday. They have earned back to back clean sheets at Wolves and Leicester City and not offered a lot of opportunities to those two teams, although Brighton have perhaps given up some of their attacking intent to be a little more solid.

In their three games played, chances have not been flowing for Brighton and I think the layers may have underestimated the chances of seeing a low scoring game here.

Neither Norwich City nor Brighton are playing with a lot of consistency in the final third which may make goals difficult to come by. While neither would be seen as a hugely successful defensive side, both Norwich City and Brighton have shown some toughness in those areas and I think that may see at least one clean sheet produced here.

I honestly would not be surprised if this fixture ended 1-0 either way with the way both Norwich City and Brighton are playing. The odds might not suggest it, but I think one, or both, of these teams will fail to hit the back of the net.


Leicester City v Crystal Palace Pick: A late stumble could prove to be very costly for Leicester City who have seen the likes of Chelsea, Manchester United and Wolves close in on their top four spot. At the turn of the calendar year Leicester City were very short odds to earn a Champions League spot for the 2020/21 season, but they had been struggling before the enforced break and Brendan Rodgers has not found the right formula for them yet.

Draws with Watford and Brighton followed by a defeat to Everton have knocked the confidence from the Leicester City players. The system employed looks like one that opponents are a little more comfortable dealing with and now they have to face a Crystal Palace team who have been a stubborn opponent under Roy Hodgson.

Back to back losses might make Crystal Palace vulnerable, but they deserved a lot more than they got from the home defeat to Burnley. The 4-0 loss at Liverpool was surprising, but early injuries might have just taken the wind out of the sails and in general Crystal Palace are a competitive team.

This is a club who Brendan Rodgers won't have forgotten having seen his then Liverpool team blow a 0-3 lead in an eventual 3-3 draw at Selhurst Park that ultimately cost them the title in 2014.

And the Leicester City players won't have good memories of facing Crystal Palace either after losing 0-3 and 1-4 the last two times they have hosted them.

Leicester City were unfortunate to lose at Everton on the chances created, but they have been struggling in the final third out of the break. At the same time they have looked far from secure at the back and only a Kasper Schmeichel penalty save against Brighton has prevented them entering this fixture off the back of three straight defeats.

They won't find it easy against a Crystal Palace team that have limited chances against them by being well organised and looking to break with pace on the counter. The thumping at Liverpool is one poor result, but Crystal Palace had scored in 6 straight away games before that and on current form it is hard to see Leicester City blowing them away.

You have to believe the home team may edge it, but that's largely on the season whole form rather than on recent one. They have not created a lot of chances and Crystal Palace should be frustrating them for long periods and looking to add a third straight victory at the King Power Stadium.

It might be enough to secure a surprise result- Leicester City look far too short regardless here and a one goal defeat for Crystal Palace would at least return the stake.


Manchester United v Bournemouth Pick: Two of the most in-form teams in the Premier League look to be Wolves and Manchester United who are both closing in on the top four places in the table.

At this stage it would be a disappointment if Manchester United don't have enough to finish in the Champions League spots regardless of what happens to Manchester City and their two year ban from European Football.

A win at Brighton during the week was really encouraging from Manchester United who dominated from start to finish and deservedly won on the day. They have not always been at their best away from home so that was a huge victory for United and they should be able to build on that and win a third Premier League game in a row on Saturday.

On the face of things you wouldn't think much of that, but Manchester United have not won three consecutive Premier League games since January 2019 when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer inspired a 6 game winning run in the League having taken over from Jose Mourinho.

The fact it has not happened in 2019/20 is a concern, but Manchester United might be playing as well as they have at any stage at this moment in time. With Bruno Fernandes, Marcos Rashford, Paul Pogba, Anthony Martial and Mason Greenwood in the line up, Manchester United have plenty of creative talent and they have also won 4 in a row at Old Trafford while scoring 13 goals.

These players should be ready to take the game to a Bournemouth team who are coming in off the back of an embarrassing 1-4 home loss to Newcastle United. The fixtures make it difficult to see how Bournemouth can't get out of trouble without earning a couple of surprise results.

However there is a pressure on the players which will make it hard to use this a 'free hit' and Bournemouth will have a hard time containing Manchester United. They were narrowly beaten at Wolves last month, but Manchester United are showing a lot more creativity in the final third than their Champions League chasing rivals and I expect that to show up here.

Manchester United have beaten Watford and Sheffield United by 3-0 scorelines at Old Trafford either side of the three month break. If they can make a fast start as they have in their last couple of Premier League games I do think Manchester United will be too strong for Bournemouth here and they can win by a comfortable margin.

It is never easy to ask a team to clear this level of handicap, but Manchester United are playing well enough to believe they can secure another comfortable win on Saturday.


Wolves v Arsenal Pick: Both Wolves and Arsenal will be aiming for a return to European Football although it is the former who have realistic ambitions of playing in the Champions League next season.

It says a lot about how far Wolves have come under the guidance of Nuno Espirito Santo who had been linked with the vacant job at Arsenal before they turned to Mikel Arteta back in December.

The Portuguese manager has instilled a really attractive playing style at Wolves but he has also found the balance which makes them very difficult to beat. The three wins since the resumption of the Premier League has given Wolves momentum and each has come with a clean sheet, while the side have 5 clean sheets in a row at Molineux.

That should be tested by this Arsenal team who have won 4 of their last 6 away games in all competitions and who have won back to back games at Southampton and Sheffield United. Mikel Arteta has helped the team look a little better at the back, but Arsenal still have vulnerabilities and you do have to believe that this Wolves team will be well prepared to exploit those.

There is pace in the Wolves team and genuine quality in the final third and I think they are playing well enough to edge to a win here. They don't always create the most chances, but I do think Wolves will be able to do that against this Arsenal team and in Raul Jimenez they have a player who can be clinical when those chances come his way.

I have to respect the recent Arsenal performances since losing back to back games at Manchester City and Brighton. They were unfortunate to lose the second of those and they are a team who have plenty of pace and quality of their own in the final third which can make them dangerous.

Arsenal might not have won a lot of away games, but they haven't lost many either which has to be respected. However Wolves blew them away last season at Molineux and there looks to be enough consistency in the home squad to believe they can find the goals they need to win this one.

Fans of Chelsea, Leicester City and Manchester United won't be concerned if Wolves were to drop points, but Nuno Espirito Santo's men are playing with confidence and I think they can keep their top four ambitions alive and kicking with a good looking win here.


Chelsea v Watford Pick: The race for the top four looks like it is going to go down to the final day when Chelsea will be hosting Wolves, but they will be looking to bounce back from a shock defeat at West Ham United when they take the field this Saturday.

That defeat has once again opened the door for the likes of Manchester United and Wolves to earn their way into the top four and Chelsea could feel some real pressure by the time this game kicks off.

Depending on results, Chelsea may be as low as 6th in the Premier League table when they head out into an empty Stamford Bridge and that can cause problems for players. It is not easy to express yourselves when knowing how much is on the line, but Frank Lampard will likely shut off the televisions within the Stadium and ask his players to concentrate on their own matters.

Ultimately Chelsea will finish in the top four if they win their remaining six games and that is all the manager will be asking of his players. Take things one game at a time and make sure 100% is given to each fixture, especially as Wednesday night should have taught Chelsea that nothing can be taken for granted in the Premier League.

Chelsea have been better at Stamford Bridge of late and they are facing a Watford team who have looked a little short of confidence in their opening games since the resumption of play. The loss to Southampton at home is a real worry for Nigel Pearson and his Watford team have simply not been as strong on their travels as they have at Vicarage Road which makes that defeat all the more concerning.

The Hornets have not scored in their last 3 away Premier League games and have suffered losses each time. They have looked vulnerable at the back and Watford don't score enough goals which is going to make it very hard to earn the results they need, even if this is a 'nothing to lose' situation with all the pressure on their hosts.

However it may also be a game that Nigel Pearson chooses to rest key names in order to keep them fresh for the home games to come against Norwich City and Newcastle United over the coming days. That might give Chelsea a bit more momentum in a game they should be winning and I do think the home team will prove to be too strong.

Chelsea have not always looked convincing at the back this season, but they have been better in recent home games. That may play a part for a team who do create a lot of chances and I think it may help them win this one by a comfortable margin on the night to make sure they end this weekend in the top four at the least.


Burnley v Sheffield United Pick: Chris Wilder will have been very pleased to be on the right side of a controversial VAR decision which may have shifted the game against Tottenham Hotspur in favour of his Sheffield United team. Instead of conceding moments after taking the lead, Sheffield United were able to manage their 1-0 lead until late goals secured a comfortable win on the day.

It is a big win for Sheffield United who had lost 3 in a row prior to the game on Thursday evening. They had conceded at least twice in each of those losses which includes back to back 3-0 defeats at Newcastle United and Manchester United.

Sheffield United have not scored in their last 3 away Premier League games so that is something they need to address if they want to finish in the top seven and potentially earn a European spot for next season.

However they have not really created a lot of chances in those games either and it won't get much easier when they travel to Turf Moor to take on a Burnley team off consecutive League wins. Sean Dyche has done yet another fantastic job for Burnley and it would be a real blow to the club if the manager decides he is not going to be supported to help the club take the next step forward.

For now Sean Dyche is continuing to do his job and the players are clearly behind him judging by the hard work they have put into the last two games. Both have ended in 1-0 wins for Burnley against Watford and Crystal Palace and this is a ground on which Burnley have really found some of their best football in terms of results and chances created.

The absence of some key attacking players is an issue for Burnley, but they may still have a slight edge over Sheffield United with the few extra days of rest in the legs.

Both teams will work hard and look to exploit set pieces to give themselves the edge, but I think Burnley might be in a better spot to earn the points. In their home games either side of the three month break, Burnley have created a lot of chances with a system that the players are familiar with and that might be problematic for Sheffield United who have looked vulnerable in all 3 away games played since the resumption of play.

The win over Tottenham Hotspur will give Sheffield United some confidence, but I think the narrow edge has to be given to Burnley in this early Sunday kick off in the Premier League.


Newcastle United v West Ham United Pick: There is no doubt that the points on offer in this Premier League game are much more important to West Ham United than Newcastle United, but that does not mean that the home team are going to want to roll over.

Steve Bruce wants the players to prove they deserve to be playing for the club going forward and especially if new owners are willing to open the chequebook for the club. There is also an outside chance that Newcastle United could push for a European spot with a strong finish, but ultimately all Bruce wants to see his team playing hard.

The 1-4 win at Bournemouth shows this is a team capable of doing that and Newcastle United have also been very difficult to beat at home. They have not conceded many goals here and Newcastle United have players that can create chances which is going to be a problem for West Ham United who have struggled defensively.

At least West Ham United will be playing with a lot more confidence having shown what they are capable of in their 3-2 win over Chelsea on Wednesday. It was a real surprise to see West Ham United play as well as they did that day considering how poorly they have begun in the resumption of Premier League Football and the three points earned could be vital in their bid to avoid the drop.

David Moyes will believe his team have something to build upon here, but West Ham United have lost 7 away Premier League games in a row. They have given up a lot of chances in that run and Newcastle United are good enough to take advantage too.

I can't help feel the home team would be a much bigger favourite if this game was played before the Wednesday night results. West Ham United did win here last season, which has to be respected, but they have struggled for away goals and are still missing some important pieces.

I expect some issues will be something David Moyes will want to address in the transfer window, but at this moment I think it will be difficult for West Ham United. They invested a lot in the game on Wednesday and it might be tough for the players to reach those standards again.

Newcastle United have been strong at home which makes it hard to see them losing and I do think they may earn a narrow victory here to keep European hopes alive for a few more days.


Liverpool v Aston Villa Pick: Jurgen Klopp was not impressed by the questions he received from the media at the end of the 4-0 defeat to Manchester City on Thursday and the manager is one that won't allow his Liverpool team to drop their standards now the title has been secured.

Ultimately the next month is about preparing for the defence of that tile which will begin in September and I have no doubt that Klopp will be demanding a much stronger all around performance.

In public he was not very critical of his players, but I imagine Klopp will have been seething about the embarrassing defeat for a couple of days. This is the first time Liverpool will play at Anfield as Champions and even without the fans you have to expect the whole club wants to mark that occasion in the right way.

Even before the suspension of English Football, Liverpool had been producing contrasting performances at home and away. The defeat to Manchester City means they have gone 5 away games without scoring a goal, but Liverpool have won 13 in a row at Anfield in normal time and crushed Crystal Palace 4-0 here since the resumption of play.

The venue and the need for redemption for the home team does not bode well for Aston Villa who are desperate for the points to help them move out of the bottom three. West Ham United's win over Chelsea on Wednesday has put more pressure on Aston Villa who have not won any of 9 games in all competitions and have been beaten 7 times in that run.

It should be noted that Aston Villa have looked a little more stubborn defensively coming out of the break than they had before the suspension of the League. That could be key in turning the results they need, but a lack of goals is a concern and I think they will have a difficult day on Sunday.

Liverpool do look like a team that will have too much in the final third for their visitors and I think that may lead to a relatively comfortable win when all is said and done. They will have a lot to prove after Thursday and Liverpool have been strong here all season which leads me to believe they can not only win this fixture, but do so by a couple of goals at the least.

More than half of Aston Villa's away defeats in the Premier League have come by two or more goal margins and I do think that will be the case here.


Southampton v Manchester City Pick: Nothing could be gained in terms of the Premier League title race in 2019/20, but Manchester City clearly came out on Thursday to make a statement to the new Champions Liverpool. You could see it in the faces of the players when performing the 'guard of honour' for their visitors and manager Pep Guardiola couldn't get away quick enough either.

The 4-0 win for Manchester City has set the statement for next season that they will be expecting to be much closer to the top spot.

Even this season the underlying numbers suggest Manchester City haven't had a lot of luck on their side, but Pep Guardiola will know some additions will need to be made to bolster the squad.

That is something that both Manchester City and Southampton will be preparing behind the scenes, but on Sunday they will go with what they have. Manchester City's poor away run in the Premier League is a real surprise, but this is a team who have been creating chances and playing some very good football out of the resumption of play and the next few weeks is all about building momentum for the FA Cup and Champions League challenges ahead.

Having played on Thursday you do have to believe that Manchester City will make changes to freshen things up and some big names will be ready to come in. Even with those changes this is a very strong team and one that will give Southampton plenty of problems, especially at St Mary's where The Saints have simply not performed as well as they would have liked.

You have to respect this team though because not many would have recovered from the 0-9 home loss to Leicester City in the manner that they did. A lot of credit has to be given to manager Ralph Hasenhuttl too who has not moved away from his principles and that has led to the best season since 2016/17 having flirted with relegation in the last two.

Southampton will attack with pace and in Danny Ings they have someone who can punish Manchester City if the visitors are not at their best.

However this Southampton team have had some problems defensively which the likes of Newcastle United and Arsenal have exploited in visits here either side of the three month break. Manchester City are a much better attacking outfit than both and I do think there will be enough attacking talent on display to lead to a comfortable win for the visitors.

In 2 of their last 3 visits to St Mary's Manchester City have scored three times and that has led to comfortable wins. I expect Southampton to play a part here, but Manchester City can back up the success over Liverpool by producing a good win on Sunday evening.


Tottenham Hotspur v Everton Pick: The final game of this round of Premier League fixtures comes from Tottenham Hotspur's shiny new Stadium, although there are dark clouds gathering over this part of North London.

The arrival of Jose Mourinho as manager was supposed to spark a squad that many felt were underachieving, but they head into this fixture in 9th place in the Premier League table and behind rivals Arsenal. The table may look considerably worse for Tottenham Hotspur fans at kick off, but Jose Mourinho will be demanding a big reaction to the 3-1 loss at Sheffield United on Thursday night.

His task is to make sure the players refocus after some miserable defending in the defeat at Bramall Lane, while also making better decisions in the final third. A bit of luck that was missing in the last game won't go amiss either, but Tottenham Hotspur will know they need to be at their best to beat an Everton team who have performed very well under Carlo Ancelotti.

Everton are unbeaten in 3 Premier League games out of the restart and have won back to back fixtures, although they were clinging on at the end of their 2-1 win over Leicester City. The manager will be pleased with the three points which has reinvigorated Everton's challenge for a top seven finish, but it is games like this one they will need to win in order to achieve the aims set out by Ancelotti.

The last trip to London ended in a miserable 4-0 loss for Everton, but prior to that they were very unlucky to lose 3-2 at Arsenal. The potential absence of Richarlison would hurt, but if the Brazilian is ready to go this is an Everton team who have created chances wherever they have played.

However they are not all that convincing at the back and the attacking options open to Tottenham Hotspur should have some spaces to exploit. Despite the loss on Thursday, Spurs did show some good intent when getting forward and you have to believe they will make better decisions in this one.

Games between these clubs in recent years have been action packed and many have ended up with three or more goals shared out. There were enough chances for that to be the outcome in their 1-1 draw earlier this season, but the previous 5 between Tottenham Hotspur and Everton have ended with at least three goals scored.

4 of the last 5 hosted by Spurs have ended the same way and I do think both teams will have their chances to score in this one. The three points are key for both clubs so neither manager is expected to settle for a point and it could lead to another high-scoring game between these teams on Monday Night Football.

MY PICKS: Norwich City-Brighton BTTS NO
Crystal Palace + 1 Asian Handicap
Manchester United - 2 Asian Handicap
Wolves - 0.25 Asian Handicap
Chelsea - 1.25 Asian Handicap
Burnley + 0.25 Asian Handicap
Newcastle United + 0.25 Asian Handicap
Liverpool - 1.5 Asian Handicap
Manchester City - 1.5 Asian Handicap
Tottenham Hotspur-Everton Over 2.5 Goals

Fantasy Football GameWeek 33+

It was not the best week for the FPL game as I missed on my Captain and got very little from a number of the selected players.

At least I managed to hold onto two transfers to use this week, the one in which I am playing my Bench Boost with the top teams all facing clubs they should be beating.

My concerns come from the likelihood that teams will be rotating their squads, but that is why I am sticking with the same Captain I have used for the last two weeks. Anthony Martial should start for Manchester United who have Bournemouth to come to Old Trafford and I am expecting more from a player who didn't play a big part in the 0-3 win at Brighton in the last GameWeek, at least not from a Fantasy point of view.

Injuries and loss of form makes the two transfers fairly easy to make as Harvey Barnes and Joelinton will be removed from my team. The former looks a little out of favour at Leicester City who are also not showing a lot of positive form, while the latter picked up a knock during the week and may not be available on Sunday anyway.

I do wonder if the likes of Kevin De Bruyne, Roberto Firmino and Mason Mount will get the minutes I would like from a Bench Boost Chip, but I can't really do much about the situation with games being played every few days. I would be disappointed if they didn't all get some time on the pitch this weekend, although it would be preferable for Fantasy purposes that all start against 'weak' opponents.

Well things were supposed to be that simple until news broke that Bruno Fernandes may be a doubt for the game against Bournemouth. Reports have suggested he came off worse in a collision with Paul Pogba and both players are doubtful for the home game and that does cloud my thinking.

It may be reasonable to wait until Saturday morning before a final decision is made, but it is possible that I am going to take a hit to remove the two players I mentioned and also to replace a player that may not take part.

Like I've mentioned, I do think this is the best week in which to use the Bench Boost and so I am going to play with these options and make a final decision in the morning ahead of the 11:30am deadline.


There are players that can come in and make a difference with the likes of Phil Foden, Allan Saint-Maximin, Dwight Gayle, Marcus Rashford, David Silva, Christian Pulisic, Willian and Tammy Abraham looking like they can make a difference to the team, but again it may be best to check my Twitter page and see how my final thoughts break down.


Overall I am pretty happy with the squad going into a Bench Boost week- the defence has every chance of returning a number of clean sheets and I do feel I am in a position to have all fifteen players return some points.

The squad is looking like this before my final transfers have been made:

GK: Alisson, Emiliano Martinez

DEF: Harry Maguire, Virgil Van Dijk, Justin James, Willy Boly, Federico Fernandez

MID: Anthony Martial, Bruno Fernandes, Harvey Barnes, Mason Mount, Kevin De Bruyne

FWD: Raul Jimenez, Roberto Firmino, Joelinton

Wimbledon Tennis Day 4 Picks 2019 (July 4th)

Wednesday was a pretty miserable day as far as the Tennis Picks go, but I am looking to bounce back on Thursday.

You can read the Tennis Picks below for the day's play. I have some analysis of a few of the Second Round matches to be played as I look to turn around a poor start to the Round.


Roger Federer - 9.5 games v Jay Clarke: The Second Round of a Grand Slam is still a time when the top Seeds will be looking to make comfortable progress through to the Third Round to ensure they are not expending too much energy at this stage of a two week tournament. After dropping his first set at Wimbledon on Tuesday, Roger Federer dominated Lloyd Harris through the remainder of the match and he should be very happy with the draw for the Second Round.

That is no disrespect to Jay Clarke, but the British player has perhaps already exceeded expectations by winning his first match at Wimbledon. He also came through in four sets on Tuesday against Noah Rubin, but Clarke has had a minimal impact on the grass over the last month as he has also been suffering with some health issues.

He won't be expecting to beat the eight time Wimbledon Champion, but Clarke has to enjoy the experience and see whether he can rattle someone who is very comfortable in SW19. The match is being scheduled for Court One on Thursday, but Federer will be very familiar with both of the top two show courts at Wimbledon and I don't think it will take him too long to adjust to playing outside of Centre Court which has become his court over the last twenty years.

Roger Federer did admit to some early nerves in his victory over Harris in the First Round, but I also think the conditions are not as fast as he would have liked. He still served very well with 79% of points won behind serve and that opened up the returning for a player that has declined in that side of his game as he continues to approach his 40th birthday.

Before this tournament began, Jay Clarke had lost all four matches played on the grass and he was only holding 66% of his service games. In the last couple of losses Clarke had suffered a 6-1 defeat in a single set in both matches and my feeling is that Federer is going to be able to put something like that on the scoreboard which should give him every chance to cover what is a very big number.

I would expect the Federer serve to continue to allow the former World Number 1 to open up on the return and it will need Clarke to play way above his level to make this competitive. Seeing Roger Federer entertain the crowd with something like a 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 kind of scoreline in this Second Round match would not be a big surprise and I will look for Federer to cover the handicap mark and make serene progress into the Third Round.


Rafael Nadal - 4.5 games v Nick Kyrgios: As soon as the draw for Wimbledon was made late last week the first thing that was drawn to the eyes was the potential of seeing Rafael Nadal and Nick Kyrgios meet in the Second Round. These two had something of a falling out after a match in Acapulco earlier this year, but the difference of opinion between the two players was laid bare by Nick Kyrgios when joining a podcast on the eve of the French Open.

That has been doubled down by the Australian after his First Round win over Jordan Thompson when he admitted Nadal and himself would be unlikely to 'go for a beer' together although it has to be said there is plenty of respect between the players for what they can produce on the court.

I do expect to see Kyrgios try and get under Nadal's skin so I would look out for an early underarm serve or two, which in turn could open up the big serves into the body for the Australian. It could be a key battle, but much is going to depend on Kyrgios and which side of bed he gets out of and that is something that we simply won't know until the match begins.

Now that might suggest this match is going to be on the racquet of Kyrgios, but that is not the case. Their most famous match may have come at Wimbledon when Nick Kyrgios stunned Rafael Nadal in four sets as a teenager, but the numbers have mainly been in favour of the Spaniard even when these two have met on the grass or hard courts.

It is no surprise Nadal has dominated Kyrgios in their two clay court matches, but the faster surfaces are more relevant. In those four matches, Nick Kyrgios has won three of them although the numbers show that Rafael Nadal has been a little unfortunate not to be at 2-2 in those matches.

Nick Kyrgios may have won their hard court match earlier this year, but Rafael Nadal will be ruing the missed break points he had in that match. He will know how difficult it can be to break the Kyrgios serve on grass considering the Australian has won 90% of service game played on the surface throughout his career, but Kyrgios is just 4-7 in matches against top 20 Ranked players.

He continues to hold at a very high rate, but the Kyrgios return can be a weakness and Rafael Nadal has shown he is very good at holding serve on the grass over the last couple of years. I think that makes a difference in this one considering Nadal did hold 95% of his service games against Kyrgios in their sole grass court match in 2014 and is at 88% in their three hard court matches.

I would not be surprised if there are some tense moments in this one, especially when Kyrgios gets up to his antics to try and rattle Nadal. I also would not be surprised to see a tie-breaker, but Kyrgios has had some health issues and I think Rafael Nadal is going to be serving and returning well enough to see a player perhaps let his mind drift as has been a weakness for Kyrgios in recent years.

This should be a fun match, but I think Nadal can be backed to cover the handicap and win this one.


Jan-Lennard Struff-Taylor Fritz over 41.5 games: Neither Jan-Lennard Struff nor Taylor Fritz have had the kind of success on the grass courts they would have liked in the last couple of years, but both come into this Second Round match in very good form. The conditions in Wimbledon sound about as slow as they have ever been, but these two players have very strong serves which should make it very difficult to expect to see a lot of breaks during the course of the match.

Taylor Fritz is playing his best grass court tennis of his career heading into the Second Round. He won the title in Eastbourne last week and only dropped a set during the five matches he played. He continued the hot serving against former Wimbledon Finalist Tomas Berdych in the First Round as the American comfortably moved through in straight sets, but there is no doubt this is a big step up from an opponent who had not played competitive tennis for a few months.

While he has not won a title, Jan-Lennard Struff showed some strong form in the lead up to Wimbledon with some good wins put together. Like Fritz, Struff is very much basing the foundation of his success on a strong serve which shifts pressure onto opponents and also frees up his own arm when it comes to the return of serve.

The German was a dominant winner in the First Round and came into Wimbledon holding 93% of his service games played on the grass courts. He faced just three break points in the First Round and Struff was not broken on the day and the expectation is he will make it difficult for Fritz who has won just 34% of return points in 2018 and 33% in 2019 while also breaking serve in only 16% of return games played.

At the same time Fritz has held 88% of his own service games on the surface over the last month and was very effective behind serve in the First Round win over Berdych. The Struff returning numbers are slightly weaker in terms of points won compared with Fritz, but the German has also managed to break in 16% of return games and was very comfortable against the weaker Albot serve in the First Round.

Both players should be able to rattle through their service games in this one and I do think a single break of serve will secure sets for whichever of the two players is able to earn that. I would not be surprised to see at least one tie-breaker in this one and the form of both players makes it very difficult to believe this mach is going to end in straight sets either way.

If we do get into a fourth set I think that will be enough to surpass this number of games as I would then imagine at least two tie-breakers will be needed when you consider the way Struff and Fritz have been serving. That is backed up by what has been limited returning produced by both players and I am going to look for the total games line to be surpassed in this one.


Gilles Simon - 6.5 games v Tennys Sandgren: Covering a number like this one is not going to be easy for Gilles Simon, but this has been a good match up for him in the past and there has been enough solid grass court play from the Frenchman to believe in him here. That isn't a position I am always comfortable in, especially with the number of games being asked of Simon to cover, but there is enough for me to back him in this spot.

The Frenchman was the Runner Up at Queens Club in the build up to Wimbledon, while he also reached the Quarter Final in Eastbourne to back up that performance in London. There is no doubt that it is hard to really feel comfortable backing someone to cover a handicap like this one when you consider the struggles Gilles Simon can have on his serve, but he has held 81% of service games on the grass in 2019.

That number is not one that is going to lead to too many deep runs at Wimbledon, but Simon has broken in 22% of return games to back it up. Gilles Simon was a comfortable winner in the First Round as he got some revenge on Salvotore Caruso, a player who had beaten Simon at the French Open a few weeks ago.

Now he faces American Tennys Sandgren who does not have a lot of grass court pedigree to speak of and who has struggled to reach the heights of his breakthrough on the Tour at the Australian Open eighteen months ago. The American is 3-1 on the grass courts in 2019, but he had held serve in just 78% of his service games prior to his First Round win over Yasutaka Uchiyama and that includes a heavy loss to Gilles Simon.

These two players have met twice before and that includes their match in Eastbourne last week. Gilles Simon has held only 78% of his service games in those matches, but he has been very comfortable returning the Tennys Sandgren serve with the American holding in just 42% of his own service games.

Last week Gilles Simon had slightly superior numbers in both serve and return in their match on the grass courts and I do think he can cover what looks a very big number on the face of things. I would be surprised if there aren't a couple of swings in momentum within a set of tennis, but Gilles Simon should secure a set with a couple of breaks of serve considering how he has matched up with Tennys Sandgren.

If the Frenchman can do that, I think he will be in a position to cover this number and I will back him to do that.


Serena Williams - 5.5 games v Kaja Juvan: The first thing you have to say about Serena Williams is that she still does not look at 100%, but the American has to feel her grass court experiences will always give her a chance to win Wimbledon. Serena Williams has won multiple Wimbledon titles, but I think it says a lot that she has decided to partner Andy Murray in the Mixed Doubles as to what her expectations are in the Singles tournament in SW19 this fortnight.

The section of the draw looks a very difficult one for Serena Williams to negotiate, although I do think the draw has been a kind one to her. That is no disrespect to Kaja Juvan, especially after seeing Guilia Gatto-Monticone push Serena Williams in the First Round, but it would be a monumental upset if the Slovenian can win this match.

Kaja Juvan has not played a lot of grass court tennis, but she did Qualify for Mallorca before exiting in the First Round. Backing that up was winning three matches to Qualify for Wimbledon and then upsetting Krystina Pliskova in the First Round, but that was a close match that could have gone either way and this is a significant step up for her.

She has played a lot of tennis over the last week having needed three sets to win three of her four matches in Qualification and the First Round at Wimbledon. One of those matches saw Juvan play eighteen games before moving through to the next Round and now I would expect Serena Williams to pressure the Slovenian like she has not experienced before.

The American former World Number 1 is still searching for a Grand Slam to match Margaret Court's 24 Slams won which is perhaps weighing down on her a little more than Serena Williams would like to let on. It is certainly something that might potentially be playing a part in her lack of form, although the bigger issue is the knee issue despite Williams telling the press she is feeling as good as she has at any time in 2019.

Serena Williams is looking for players to push her so she is ready to face some of the top names in the women's game going forward, but she will want to make an easier path through to the Third Round than she had in the First Round. She did return well enough to believe she can overcome someone with as little experience on the grass as Juvan has had and I will back Serena Williams to cover the handicap mark in this one.


Julia Goerges - 5.5 games v Varvara Flink: Last year Julia Goerges reached the Semi Final at Wimbledon to back up what had been a third pretty strong showing on the grass courts. Getting back to that stage won't be easy in the top half of the draw, but I do think the German will be a player that can produce a comfortable win in the Second Round that can take her through to a potential rematch with Serena Williams.

Julia Goerges reached the Final in Birmingham a couple of weeks ago to show she is someone that can back up her performance in SW19 twelve months ago. The first serve has remained a big weapon for Goerges and it is expected to be a key shot for her in this Second Round match against Qualifier Varvara Flink.

The Russian is about to reach a new high in terms of her World Ranking once the new list is released at the end of Wimbledon. Varvara Flink has won three Qualifiers on the grass and then beat a fellow Qualifier in the First Round to earn her run to this match, although there is no doubt she is taking on a player that performs at a much higher level in normal circumstances.

In the run to the Second Round which has seen Varvara Flink win four matches she is yet to face someone Ranked in the top 100. Facing a top 20 Ranked opponent could be a real eye opener for Flink even though Julia Goerges can perhaps struggle on the return more than someone with a game as big as she possesses should.

Julia Goerges has tended to dominate the opponents Ranked outside the top 100 that she has faced on the grass courts. I would think we are going to see more of the same in this Second Round match as I think Goerges can put Varvara Flink under intense pressure from the serve.

That should see the Russian player collapse on serve in a couple of games and Julia Goerges can use the advantage to earn at least one more break of serve over the course of the match. It is a big spread to cover for a player who has won 42% of return points against opponents on the grass courts in 2019, but Goerges has not been in front of a player she should dominate like the one she faces on Thursday.

MY PICKS: Roger Federer - 9.5 Games @ 2.00 Bet365 (2 Units)
Rafael Nadal - 4.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet365 (2 Units)
Jan-Lennard Struff-Taylor Fritz Over 41.5 Games @ 1.83 Bet Fred (2 Units)
Gilles Simon - 6.5 Games @ 2.10 Bet Fred (2 Units)
Serena Williams - 5.5 Games @ 1.91 Bet Fred (2 Units)
Julia Goerges @ 1.91 Bet Fred (2 Units)
Qiang Wang - 4.5 Games @ 1.91 Bet Fred (2 Units)
Elise Mertens - 4.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet365 (2 Units)
Carla Suarez Navarro - 4.5 Games @ 1.91 Bet365 (2 Units)
Angelique Kerber - 5.5 Games @ 1.72 Bet Fred (2 Units)
Belinda Bencic - 4.5 Games @ 1.83 Bet365 (2 Units)
Steve Johnson @ 2.20 Paddy Power (2 Units)
Lucas Poulle - 5.5 Games @ 1.80 Bet Fred (2 Units)
Matteo Berrettini - 6.5 Games @ 2.10 Paddy Power (2 Units)

Wimbledon Update: 22-18, + 3.58 Units (80 Units Staked, + 4.47 % Yield)