With all of the focus on the men’s and women’s singles events at Wimbledon this year, one set of events consistently gets overlooked: the doubles. Despite receiving less airtime and less attention from the majority of punters, this is still a fascinating event that deserves a break down.
Read on as we preview both the 2024 men’s and women’s doubles event at Wimbledon this year, outlining who the main contenders are and what our prediction is for each.
Men’s doubles: No clear favorite in London
Arguably the most prestigious doubles event of the year, 64 pairings will square off to contest the men’s doubles at Wimbledon this coming fortnight.
Some big names from the singles draw are competing, with the likes of Ben Shelton, Casper Ruud and Stefanos Tsitsipas all in action. Here are the the top eight seeds this week:
- Granollers/Zeballos
- Bopanna/Ebden
- Ram/Salisbury
- Arevalo/Pavic
- Bolelli/Vavassori
- Gonzalez/Roger-Vasselin
- Koolhof/Mektic
- Krawietz/Puetz
Several new pairings exist alongside familiar names in the men’s doubles draw. Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury are competing together again, while two former champions, Nikola Mektic and Wesley Koolhof have teamed up.
Must watch matches in men’s doubles
If it happens, the absolute must watch match is Andy Murray and Jamie Murray taking on Rinky Hijikata and John Peers. This will be the first time that Andy has paired with brother Jamie, despite the two both being Tour regulars in their respective disciplines.
Adding to this, there’s every chance the match could be Murray’s last, and will almost certainly be his final appearance on a Wimbledon court. The British legend is nursing a back injury and on the cusp of retirement, so if he does manage to make it to the court for this clash, it’s unmissable.
Dark horse pairing
There are a few dark horse pairings in this year’s men’s doubles at Wimbledon, but we love Adrian Mannarino and Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard. Both have games that are perfectly suited to grass, with Mannarino hitting the ball flat with his unorthodox style, and Mpetshi Perricard possessing a booming first serve.
The two Frenchmen square off against second seeds Rohan Bopanna and Matthew Ebden in their opening match. If they can manage to pull off an upset here, then the draw will open up magnificently for them.
Our prediction for the men’s doubles at Wimbledon
This is one of the more wide open doubles events we’ve seen at a Grand Slam. However, we like the look of No 7 seeds Koolhof and Mektic. Both have won Wimbledon in different pairings, with Koolhof going all the way alongside Nel Skupski last year, and Mektic winning the title with Mate Pavic in 2021.
The two are a highly experienced pairing, and we fancy them to go all the way. Koolhof and Mektic have a comfortable first few rounds, before facing their first big challenge in the quarter-finals against Ram/Salisbury.
Women’s doubles: Hsieh and Mertens the ones to beat
Looking at the women’s doubles event at Wimbledon 2024, there are some fascinating storylines unfolding here too. Same as the men, 64 pairings will square off in pursuit of Grand Slam glory.
Here are the the top eight seeds this week:
- Hsieh/Mertens
- Dabrowski/Routliffe
- Melichar-Martinez/Perez
- Siniakova/Townsend
- Errani/Paolini
- Schuurs/Stefani
- Dolehide/Krawczyk
- Krejcikova/Siegemund
Several reshuffles have occurred heading into Wimbledon, with the most notable new pairing being Su-Wei Hsieh and Elise Mertens.
Must watch matches in women’s doubles
One match you don’t want to miss in the women’s doubles is the first-round clash between the all-British pairing of Harriet Dart and Maia Lumsden, taking on Italian’s Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini.
Errani/Paolini are the No 5 seeds, but Dart and Lumsden will have the British crowd behind them. We expect the Italian’s to win, however this should be a highly entertaining clash early on in the tournament.
Dark horse pairing
It’s hard to call this a dark horse pairing, but we’ve got our eye on Jessica Pegula and Coco Gauff this fortnight. It’s been eight years since an all-American women’s doubles combo won a Grand Slam–that was at Wimbledon in 2016, when the Williams sisters claimed the title.
We love the way Pegula is playing on grass this season. Gauff, on the other hand, is in brilliant doubles form, having just won the French Open alongside Katerina Siniakova last month. This won’t be the first time the two have played doubles together either, so the No 11 seeds could make a deep run in London.
Our prediction for the women’s doubles at Wimbledon
It’s very hard to look past Hsieh and Mertens for your women’s doubles winners this Wimbledon.
Between them, Hsieh and Mertens have 11 women’s doubles Grand Slams, with two of those being won together. One of their victories together came here at Wimbledon in 2021, while the other was earlier this year in Melbourne. Hsieh has won Wimbledon on three other occasions as well with different partners.
As the top seeds, with past success on these courts, and with recent success as a pairing, we predict that Hsieh/Mertens will live up to their favorites tag and claim the women’s doubles title in London.
