LONDON, June 30 (Reuters) – Wimbledon’s second round begins on Wednesday with Novak Djokovic taking on Stefanos Tsitsipas, while French Open champion Mirra Andreeva faces two-time Grand Slam winner Barbora Krejcikova.
TOP MEN’S MATCH: NOVAK DJOKOVIC V STEFANOS TSITSIPAS
Djokovic and Tsitsipas have faced each other 14 times, with their last meeting at a Grand Slam coming in the final of the 2023 Australian Open.
That match was billed as a bout between a veteran chasing tennis immortality and a young gun on the cusp of his breakthrough, but things have not worked out quite as either would have hoped since.
Djokovic is now into the third year of his quest for a record 25th Grand Slam title, while Tsitsipas has plummeted down the rankings after injuries and poor performances.
The Greek, who removed his father and coach Apostolos from his team right before Wimbledon, said after his 6-1 6-4 6-2 opening victory over Hugo Gaston that he was hoping to recapture some of his old magic.
“Today while I was on the court, I was thinking of the great fights that I have had previously at Wimbledon, playing some years back,” he told reporters.
A victory over Djokovic would be the perfect springboard for a comeback, but history weighs heavily against Tsitsipas, who has lost his last 11 matches against the Serb.
TOP WOMEN’S MATCH: MIRRA ANDREEVA V BARBORA KREJCIKOVA
In the women’s draw, world number five Andreeva, who won her maiden Grand Slam title at Roland Garros this month, takes on 2024 Wimbledon winner Krejcikova.
The Russian teenager holds a 3-1 winning record over Krejcikova, including a previous victory during her breakout Wimbledon campaign in 2023, but she is not taking the Czech lightly.
“She’s a two-time Grand Slam champion. She’s very experienced. She’s playing well on grass,” Andreeva told reporters after her first-round win over Magda Linette.
“So for sure it’s not going to be an easy match for me. We’ll see how it’s going to go. I’ll ask (coach) Conchita (Martinez) to prepare for the match. We’re just going to talk and come up with a good game plan.”
AUGER-ALIASSIME HAS A CASE OF WORLD CUP FEVER
Amidst all the tennis action at the All England Club, Felix Auger-Aliassime said he is also fervently following his home nation Canada’s World Cup heroics after the tournament co-hosts secured a historic last-16 spot with victory over South Africa.
“It’s crazy. I have been following it a lot. I love football,” the third seed, who takes on Croatian Dino Prizmic in the second round, told reporters.
“Obviously watching these big competitions, so much on the line, so much excitement. For us, in Canada, it’s really historic. It’s a beautiful thing, because growing up, I had to find a team to support, it was a shame that you didn’t have your home country to support.”
WIMBLEDON ORDER OF PLAY ON WEDNESDAY (prefix number denotes seeding)
CENTRE COURT (Play begins at 1230 GMT)
1-Jannik Sinner (Italy) v Nuno Borges (Portugal)
Barbora Krejcikova (Czech Republic) v 5-Mirra Andreeva (Russia)
Stefanos Tsitsipas (Greece) v 7-Novak Djokovic (Serbia)
COURT NUMBER ONE (Play begins at 1200 GMT)
1-Aryna Sabalenka (Belarus) v McCartney Kessler (U.S.)
Solana Sierra (Argentina) v 7- Coco Gauff (U.S.)
3-Felix Auger-Aliassime (Canada) v Dino Prizmic (Croatia)
COURT NUMBER TWO (Play begins at 1000 GMT)
Anastasia Gasanova (Russia) v 14-Naomi Osaka (Japan)
Daniel Merida (Spain) v 8-Daniil Medvedev (Russia)
4-Jessica Pegula v Sara Sorribes Tormo (Spain)
23-Rafael Jodar (Spain) v Pablo Carreno Busta (Spain)
(Reporting by Aadi Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Alison Williams)
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