The beauty of Grand Slam tennis is how it consistently churns out some brilliant first-round match ups. Throw 128 players into the mix, and even when you account for the seeds being dispersed, there will always be some fascinating first round matches.
We’ve scoured through the men’s draw and come up with the five clashes you can’t miss in the opening two days of the tournament. These are contests we expect to be tight, up and now, and maybe produce an upset or two.
We’ve even included a prediction for each match and some betting tips, for those of you who like doing a bit of tennis betting.
These are our men’s singles predictions and top matches for the first round of Wimbledon 2024.
Gael Monfils vs Adrian Mannarino (22)
Talk about a brilliant first-round match! Two veteran Frenchman, well liked by fans and colleagues, duking it out at a Grand Slam they’ve both played over a dozen times.
Both of these players are on the other side of 35 years old, and yet are playing some of the best tennis of their lives. Mannarino picked up an incredible three titles last year, while Monfils won one himself.
Mannarino is a grass court specialist, with a 58.3 percent win-loss on the surface–almost 10 percent higher than his hard court win rate, and nearly triple his clay success. Monfils, on the other hand, owns a 5-2 advantage in the pair’s head-to-head.
What we’re trying to say is this will be a fantastic, tight match between two lovable players.
Monfils vs Mannarino predictions
We expect Monfils to prevail in this clash. Despite the fact that grass is Mannarino’s thing, and he’s the player seeded in this encounter, we just can’t look past the head-to-head. Monfils knows how to beat Mannarino, and is playing better tennis this year than his compatriot.
These are the bets we suggest taking on Monfils vs Mannarino at Wimbledon:
- Monfils to win @ 1.44 | -225
- Four sets total @ 2.60 | +160
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Sebastian Korda (20) vs Alejandro Davidovich Fokina
Sebastian Korda plays Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in his opening match, in what will be a mighty tricky match for the No 20 seed.
Korda is in sharp form at the moment, and looks like one of the best ATP players on grass heading into Wimbledon. Davidovich Fokina, has not had quite the same luck. The Spaniard, who has been as high as No 21 in the world in the past, is 10-13 for the year so far.
However, both players have a knack for messy early matches at Grand Slams.
Davidovich Fokina went to five against Ruud in round two of the French Open this year. He also went the distance against Holger Rune at Wimbledon 2023, and went to five in his three previous matches at Wimbledon in 2021 and 2022. Korda, meanwhile, has gone to four or five sets in his opening match in three of the last four Grand Slams, and both times he’s played Wimbledon.
Korda vs Davidovich Fokina predictions
Korda should win this match. However, with nothing to lose, expect Davidovich Fokina to come out firing and make this a fascinating contest. We could well see some ebbs and flows as each player runs hot and cold across the match, but ultimately, we’re backing Korda to prevail.
- Korda to win @ 1.44 | -225
- Korda to win 3-1 @ 3.75 | +275
Dan Evans vs Alejandro Tabilo (24)
British fans will be out in force to support local player Dan Evans at this year’s Wimbledon, and we expect he’ll play an unmissable match against Alejandro Tabilo in round one.
Evans is a gritty, nuggety player that is hard to put away, while Tabilo is relatively new to the Tour at this level, and is playing the tennis of his life in 2024. Evans, one of many talented British players at the Wimbledon event, is having a tough year (3-14 on the main tour), but has begun to find some semblance of form, winning a few grass Challenger matches recently.
Tabilo, on the other hand, continues to break new ground. Having barely played a match on grass before this year, he’s just made a deep run in Mallorca for the first time.
Evans vs Tabilo predictions
With a crowd behind him, we know that Evans will put on a show in this match. We don’t think it will be enough to defeat Tabilo, but it should make for an entertaining clash that’s certainly worth wagering on. Here are the punts we suggest:
- Tabilo to win @ 1.66 | -150
- Five sets total @ 3.00 | +200
Andy Murray vs Tomas Machac
If this match ends up happening, it will undoubtedly be the most watched clash of the first round at Wimbledon.
Andy Murray, two-time Wimbledon champion and British tennis legend, is on the cusp of retirement. With every appearance potentially being the Brit’s last, there’s heightened weight on every match now.
Whether or not Murray takes to the court depends how his recovery from a back injury progresses over the next few days. Speaking of injuries, what makes this match even more fascinating is that Murray and Tomas Machac met earlier this year in Miami. The match was an epic, going 5-7, 7-5, 7-6(5) the way of the Czech, due to a late Murray injury in the third set.
Murray vs Machac predictions
IF Murray plays, we say he’ll win. He’s simply too great of a player, too much of a fighter, to allow the result to go any other way. There’s a fair chance he won’t be able to play though, because he’s been clear that he’ll only take to the court if he feels he can give it his all.
Considering that bets will be refunded if the match get canceled, here are the wagers we recommend:
- Murray to win @ 3.40 | +240
- Murray to win 3-1 @ 8.00 | +700
Felix Auger-Aliassime vs Thanasi Kokkinakis
Rounding out our unmissable matches in round one of Wimbledon is Felix Auger-Aliassime taking on Thanasi Kokkinakis.
This clash simply has five setter written all over it. Of the 36 Grand Slam matches that Kokkinakis has played, 13 have gone to a fifth set. The Australian has gone the distance in his last three matches at majors, and in five of his last 10 clashes.
Auger-Aliassime, on the other hand, is notoriously shaky early on in Grand Slams. The last two Wimbledons he’s played five setters in the first round, and did the same at the Australian Open earlier this year too.
Chances are, when these two share a court together, they’ll be there for a while.
Auger-Aliassime vs Kokkinakis predictions
This match is a bit of a coin flip. Auger-Aliassime should win it on paper–he’s the higher ranked player, who’s had the better season, and holds the stronger track record on grass. Thing is, Kokkinakis knows how to punch above his weight at Grand Slams. We give the edge to Auger-Aliassime, just, but suggest betting on some bets that will pay either way:
- Five sets total @ 3.25 | +225
- Total games over 37.5 @ 2.00 | +100
