The potential second round between Jannik Sinner, world number 1, and Matteo Berrettini, finalist at Wimbledon three years ago, is monopolizing the attention of the Italian public, but the draw for the 2024 edition of the Championships offered a good number of very interesting first round challenges. We have selected – excluding Italians – the five men not to be missed.
NICOLAS JARRY vs. DENIS SHAPOVALOV
In the run-up to the Championships, Denis Shapovalov called this period the best of the season, on that grass that enhances his brilliant tennis and gave him his only Slam semi-finallost against Novak Djokovic in the 2021 edition. Nicolas Jarry, on the other hand, won three matches in four appearances on London grass and he certainly doesn’t have the ideal allies for his game in the meadows, despite having beaten excellent players even on green. For this reason, among the top 20 seeds the Chilean (number 19) is one of those who seem most at risk. It will be an interesting duel, difficult to decipher.
JAKUB MENSIK vs. ALEXANDR BUBLIK
As always happens when one of the most unpredictable – and funniest – players on the circuit is on the pitch, a lot will depend on Bublik’s mood, who on grass he won the most important title of his career (last year in Halle) and reached the second week in a Major for the only time, again in 2023 with a placement in the round of 16. The 18-year-old Mensik, on the other hand, has very little experience on grass (he is making his debut at Church Road) and just this week in Mallorca he won his first two matches, reaching the quarterfinals. However, He has shown on several occasions that when it counts he knows how to be ready and in the two Slams played so far in his career he has always passed at least the first round. Very fascinating duel, without a doubt one of the most explosive proposals of the SW19 urn.
