The Wimbledon schedule heats up in a big way on Wednesday, including an all-Italian showdown between Jannik Sinner and Matteo Berrettini. Gael Monfils and Stan Wawrinka are also taking the court.
Here are my previews and picks for two of the best matchups.
(1) Jannik Sinner vs. Matteo Berrettini
One of the these two Italians is a former Wimbledon finalist…and it isn’t Sinner. A difficult draw has him going up against Berrettini, who is unseeded because of an injury absence. The 28-year-old is also a former No. 6 player in the world who was runner-up at the All-England Club in 2021. Berrettini has played sparingly this season, but he is up to his usual tricks on grass with a runner-up result in Stuttgart and a 7-6(3), 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 defeat of Marton Fucsovics in the Wimbledon first round.
This may be a bad draw for Sinner, but it’s an even worse one for Berrettini. Sinner is 39-3 in 2024 with four titles, including his first major (Australian Open). The 22-year-old, who got past Yannick Hanfmann in four sets during first-round action, has advanced to the quarters and semis in his last two trips to the All-England Club. As dangerous as Berrettini is, Sinner is simply too good right now.
Pick: Sinner in 4
Stan Wawrinka vs. Gael Monfils
Monfils and Wawrinka will be going head-to-head for the seventh time in their careers. They have split their six meetings at 3-3 and have not squared off since 2019. They have never played each other on grass.
Both veterans are true all-court players, so the surface should not be a real factor in this one. Still, it is worth pointing out that Monfils has 51 grass victories in his career compared to Wawrinka’s 27. Their physical states will be more important in deciding the outcome. Monfils, 37, is going stronger than Wawrinka, 39. The Frenchman owns a decent 17-14 record in 2024, whereas the Swiss is a disappointing 5-10. Wawrinka benefited from a favorable draw in the Wimbledon first round, beating Charles Broom in straight sets; Monfils scored a nice grass-court victory over Adrian Mannarino in four. Entertainment is the only guarantee in this contest, but Monfils will probably have the upper hand.
Pick: Monfils in 5
Ricky contributes to 10sballs.com and also maintains his own tennis website, The Grandstand. You can follow him on Twitter at @Dimonator.
