Jon Wertheim gives his seed reports, matches to watch and makes predictions ahead of Wimbledon. LONDON - I don’t practice Santeria / I ain’t got no crystal ball. But I do have a window of free time now. So here’s some prognosticating before Wimbledon 2018. Men Enough of the safe picks. We’re going out on a limb and—get this—tipping a player who is almost 37 years old! 1. Roger Federer (SUI): The defending champ might be almost 37, but he’s the player to beat. He’s well rested, having taken off the clay again. And he played well, if not supernaturally well, in his two tune-up grass events. And, besides, who else is beating him? 2. Rafael Nadal (ESP): Hasn’t done much at Wimbledon since 2011. But before that, he reached the final in five straight years he entered. The conditions and slow courts should help. And his campaign in Paris —full of the usual fixed determination—was remarkably free of physical duress. 3. Marin Cilic (CRO): A finalist last year (and in Australia), Cilic is, unquestionably, the world’s No. 3 player, as the seeding indicates. But he likely needs to figure out how to get through Federer, something he’s only done once in ten career matches. Wimbledon 2018 Preview Roundtable: Predictions, Dark Horses, More 4. Alexander Zverev (GER): Learned a difficult lesson in Paris about the importance of taking care of business efficiently in the early rounds. He toiled through multiple five-setters and had nothing left in the tank against Dominic Thiem. You might—and likely he might—worry about his leg, which was taped heavily at the Boodles exhibition. 5. Juan Martin del Potro (ARG): We sometimes forget that he’s still only 29. Has had success here, reaching a semifinal (and winning an Olympic medal) but has only won three Wimbledon matches since 2014. 6. Grigor Dimitrov (BUL): Has suddenly come down with a nasty case of the yips, especially on his service toss. Hard to lose control of the one thing you’re in control of. Yes, he’s a former semifinalist, having proven his bona fides on grass. But a straight-set drubbing in Queens to Djokovic douses optimism. 7. Dominic Thiem (AUT): Likable guy and likeable game, but needs more time to set up than grass permits. Also in a rough quarter. 8. Kevin Anderson (RSA): Love the serve; don’t love the movement. Yes, he once had Djokovic on the ropes here. But he's just 30-24 lifetime on grass. In the Federer quarter, it's hard to see him getting beyond quarters. 9. John Isner (USA): The Isner irony: he’s inextricably tied to Wimbledon, eight (gulp) years after the 70-68 match (that gives new dimension to the sports cliché “epic.”) But grass has never been his best surface—he's only 10-9. The low bounce is this giant's nemesis. 10. David Goffin (BEL): Absence of firepower is exposed on grass. Can always get sneaky, benefitting from his speed. 14-15 lifetime on the surface. 11. Sam Querrey (USA): Terrific Wimbledon in 2016 and 2017, beating both Djokovic and Murray. But wish he had more momentum coming in, as he’s only 13-12 on the year. 12. Novak Djokovic: We eagerly await the inevitable comeback. Could easily happen here. The draw gods did him no favors—putting him square in the worst quarter—but if he plays himself into the tournament, look for him in the latter rounds. Where he belongs. 13. Milos Raonic: Like Djokovic, another gentrifying neighborhood. Finalist in 2016 is back. Question, as always, is his health and durability. 14. Diego Schwartzman: Applaud the Argentine for reaching these heights (no pun intended); but not his 0-3 record at Wimbledon. 15. Nick Kyrgios: The great wild card, in more ways than one. He claims he’s ready and rested. The talent is undeniable; the mental fitness is another matter. Easy to see him making week two. Tough to see him winning his quarter. 16. Borna Coric: A player to watch, even if he weren’t coming off a win over Federer. Nice to see his results keeping pace with his potential. Seeds 17-32 18. Jack Sock (USA): It's July and it’s time he started his year. 21. Kyle Edmund (ENG): New pressure as the highest Brit. 25. Philipp Kohlschreiber (GER): If it’s German-made, it works on grass. 26. Denis Shapovalov (CAN): Not a great draw, but always a player to watch now. 31. Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE): The Greek Freak is coming. Dark Horse Pasture • Damir Dzumhur: Your ATP Antalya Open winner just this past weekend. • Feliciano Lopez (ESP): Mostly so we can applaud him playing the most consecutive Slams, 66 now. Andy Murray Withdraws From Wimbledon With Bad Hip • Karen Khachanov (RUS): Too good not be top 32. • Mischa Zverev (GER): Ironically, might be the more successful Zverev this event. First-round matches to watch • Stanislas Wawrinka v. Grigor Dimitrov: Two top ten stalwarts meet immediately. A rough early test for Wawrinka’s health and durability. • Roger Federer v. Dusan Lajovic: In his first match, Federer gets a solid veteran opponent. And fans get dueling one-handed backhands. • Gael Monfils v. Richard Gasquet: Two French soldiers—with contrasting styles—getting on in years. Speaking of civil war…. • Stevie Johnson v. John Isner: A likely second rounder pitting two Americans. • Frances Tiafoe v. Fernando Verdasco: the forehand hitch special. Upset special • If Zverev’s leg is as bad as we’re led to believe keep an eye on his pocket of the draw. Predictions • Doubles: Nicolas Mahut and Pierre-Hugues Herber. And if Mahut’s kid joins the celebration, so much the better. • Semis: Federer d. Cilic, Nadal d. Djokovic • Final: Federer d. Nadal • Winner: Federer Women I wish we could watch Serena play one set before making a pronouncement. If she’s healthy, she’s a good bet to win. If her pectoral muscle is preventing her from serving, you’re inclined to pick any of the 24 players seeded higher 1. Simona Halep (ROU): Tennis karma did its part in Paris, as Halep finally won her first major. Well-deserved. And she rested, playing zero tuneups. Now—having proven to herself that she can win seven straight matches—let’s see if she can do it again. 2. Caroline Wozniacki (DEN): She’s already won one major this season on a fast court. Never been beyond the fourth round here in 11 tries but her Eastbourne title bodes well. 3. Garbine Muguruza (ESP): Becoming tennis’ great coin flip, a player as capable of winning Slams (as she’s done twice, including Wimbledon 2017) as she is losing early (as she did last week in Birmingham.) Feels the burden of expectation like few other players do. 4. Sloane Stephens (USA): A career reassessment is in order, now that she has demonstrable proof that she can play deep into majors. She won the U.S. Open. She came within a few games of winning the French. Now Wimbledon? No tuneups, but that might be a disguised blessing. Ted Robinson on the Federer–Nadal Rivalry, 10 Years After the Storied Wimbledon 2008 Final 5. Elina Svitolina (UKR): Her career record at Wimbledon is 5-5. (Though three wins came last year.) Has the misfortune of residing in a Serena Williams-adjacent neighborhood in the draw. 6. Caroline Garcia (ESP): Love the athleticism and slowly building self belief. But only 7-5 for her career at Wimbledon and potentially tough first rounder against Belinda Bencic, a former junior champ here and also a former top-tenner. 7. Karolina Pliskova (CZE): Seems to have regressed since becoming No. 1. Rough year includes two strange losses on grass tuneups. Watch her likely second rounder against Azarenka. 8. Petra Kvitova (CZE): A Wimbledon winner (twice) in the past and a potential winner in the present. Her 38-7 record this year includes a title at the Birmingham tune-up. Hasn't been past a Grand Slam quarter since 2014, but—again with Serena’s health as the wild card—her potential quarterfinal against Halep could be a de facto final. 9. Venus Williams (USA): Lots of applause for achieving a top-10 seed at this age. A finalist last year, and she will always be a threat on grass. Both happily and frustratingly, it’s been her accuracy, not her body, that’s been letting her down lately. 10.<doc-sep>First Name Last Name We will use the details you have shared to manage your registration. You agree to the processing, storage, sharing and use of this information for the purpose of managing your registration as described in our Privacy Policy. Would you like to receive The WeekDay email newsletter? We will use the details you have shared to manage your newsletter subscription. You agree to the processing, storage, sharing and use of this information for the purpose of managing your subscription as described in our Privacy Policy. We will use the information you have shared for carefully considered and specific purposes, where we believe we have a legitimate case to do so, for example to send you communications about similar products and services we offer. You can find out more about our legitimate interest activity in our privacy policy. If you wish to object to the use of your data in this way, please tick here. ‘We’ includes The Week and other Dennis Group brands as detailed here<doc-sep>For the first time since 2012, Roger Federer was the top seed going into a Grand Slam, and as the defending champion, he was the favorite to win it, at least as far as most experts were concerned. Federer, as he did in 2017, skipped the clay court season, including the French Open, to keep himself fresh for the grass court season. Federer, 36, has eight singles titles at Wimbledon, winning it last year after a significant gap, as his previous title was from 2012. Federer is still considered the most skilled player in all of men’s tennis, and though he’s slowing down, there isn’t much to worry about outside of the norm: a lot of strong contenders to deal with. One of those contenders was Kevin Anderson, the hard server who took Federer down in the quarterfinals before beating John Isner to reach the final against Novak Djokovic. That final is set for Sunday morning, beginning at 9 a.m. ET. Below is the bracket, viewing information, and a full schedule with results updated several times a day throughout the tournament. Bracket Bracket courtesy of the official Wimbledon website. Viewing information As usual, ESPN will carry television coverage of Wimbledon in the United States. Coverage will exist primarily on the flagship ESPN network, with some coverage rolling over into ESPN2. Online streaming of the entire Wimbledon Grand Slam will also be available, as usual, via WatchESPN and the ESPN App on various devices. All courts will be available for live streaming throughout the tournament, though some require a subscription to the new ESPN+ service. Below is a list of days and which channels you can watch the action on, and below that is the full tournament schedule and results, updated daily. How to watch Wimbledon Wimbledon TV Schedule Day Round Start End Channel Day Round Start End Channel Mon, July 2 First round 7 a.m 4:30 p.m. ESPN Tue, July 3 First round 7 a.m. 4:30 p.m. ESPN Wed, July 4 Second round 7 a.m 4 p.m. ESPN Thu, July 5 Second round 7 a.m 4:30 p.m. ESPN Fri, July 6 Third round 7 a.m 4:30 p.m. ESPN Sat, July 7 Third round 8 a.m. 5 p.m. ESPN Mon, July 9 Round of 16 7 a.m 4 p.m. ESPN, ESPN2 Tue, July 10 Quarterfinals 8 a.m. 4 p.m. ESPN, ESPN2 Wed, July 11 Quarterfinals 8 a.m. 4 p.m. ESPN, ESPN2 Thu, July 12 Semifinals 8 a.m. 1 p.m. ESPN Fri, July 13 Semifinals 8 a.m. 2 p.m. ESPN Sat, July 14 Women's final 9 a.m. 3 p.m. ESPN Sun, July 15 Men's final 9 a.m. 3 p.m. ESPN Schedule Day 1, Monday, July 2 (recap) No. 1 Roger Federer def. Dusan Lajovic 6-1, 6-3, 6-4 No. 3 Marin Cilic def. Yoshihito Nishioka, 6-1, 6-4, 6-4 Stan Wawrinka def. No. 6 Grigor Dimitrov 1-6, 7-6(3), 7-6(5), 6-4 No. 8 Kevin Anderson def. Norbert Gombos, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 No. 9 John Isner def. Yannick Maden, 6-2, 7-6(4), 7-5 No. 11 Sam Querrey def. Jordan Thompson, 6-2, 6-4, 6-3 No. 13 Milos Raonic def. Liam Broady, 7-5, 6-0, 6-1 Daniil Medvedv def. No. 16 Borna Coric, 7-6(6), 6-2, 6-2 No. 17 Lucas Pouille def. Denis Kudla, 6-3, 6-3, 2-6, 6-3 No. 22 Adrian Mannarino def. Christian Garin, 6-3, 1-6, 7-6(4), 6-2 Gael Monfils def. No. 23 Richard Gasquet, 7-6(6), 7-5, 6-4 Nicolas Jarry def. No. 28 Filip Krajinovic, 6-3, 3-6, 7-6(5), 6-4 No. 31 Stefanos Tsitsipas def. Gregoire Barrere, 6-3, 6-4, 6(3)-7, 7-5 Guillermo Garcia-Lopez def. Gastao Elias, 6-2, 6-4, 6-2 Jared Donaldson def. Malek Jaziri, 7-6(5), 6-3, 6-1 Dennis Novak def. Peter Polansky, 6-2, 6-3, 7-6(7) Andreas Seppi def. John-Patrick Smith, 6-2, 6-4, 6-1 John Millman def. Stefano Travaglia, 6-7(6), 6-3, 7-5, 6-2 Gilles Muller def. Michael Mmoh, 7-5, 4-6, 7-6(7), 3-6, 6-1 Ryan Harrison def. Roberto Carballes Baena, 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 Thomas Fabbiano def. Yuki Bhambri, 2-6, 6-3, 6-3, 6-2 Radu Albot vs. Pablo Carreno Busta, to finish: 3-6, 6-0, 6-7(5), 6-2, 3-1 Sergiy Stakhovsky def. Joao Sousa, 6-3, 6-3, 5-7, 1-6, 6-4 Lukas Lacko def. Benjamin Bonzi, 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(5), 6-4 Guido Pella def. Jason Kubler, 6-4, 7-5, 4-6, 7-6(3) Paolo Lorenzi def. Laslo Djere, 7-6(1), 6-7(3), 6-2, 6-4 Jen-Lennard Struff def. Leonardo Mayer, 3-6, 6(5)-7, 7-6(5), 6-1 Robert Bemelmans def. Steve Johnson, 7-5, 6-3, 4-6, 6-7(0), 8-6 Philipp Kohlschreiber def. Evgeny Donskoy, 6-2, 6-4, 7-5 Mackenzie McDonald def. Ricardas Berankis, 4-6, 7-6(6), 6-3, 7-6(6) Ivo Karlovic def. Mikhail Youzhny, 4-6, 7-5, 7-6(7), 6-3 Day 2, Tuesday, July 3 No. 2 Rafael Nadal def. Dudi Sela, 6-3, 6-3, 6-2 No. 12 Novak Djokovic def. Tennys Sandgren, 6-3, 6-1, 6-2 No. 4 Alexander Zverev def. James Duckworth, 7-5, 6-2, 6-0 No. 5 Juan Martin Del Potro def. Peter Gojowczyk, 6-3, 6-4, 6-3 Marco Baghdatis def. No. 7 Dominic Thiem (retired) 6-4, 7-5, 2-0 Matthew Ebden def. No. 10 David Goffin, 6-4 6-3, 6-4 No. 14 Diego Schwartzman def. Mirza Basic, 6-3, 6-2, 6-1 No. 15 Nick Kyrgios def. Denis Istomin, 7-6(3), 7-6(4), 6(5)-7, 6-3 Matteo Berrettini def. No. 18 Jack Sock, 6(5)-7, 6(3)-7, 6-4, 7-5, 6-2 No. 19 Fabio Fognini def. Taro Daniel, 3-6, 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 No. 21 Kyle Edmund def. Alex Bolt, 6-2, 6-3, 7-5 No. 24 Kei Nishikori def. Christian Harrison, 6-2, 4-6, 7-6(3), 6-2 No. 26 Denis Shapovalov def. Jeremy Chardy, 6-3, 3-6, 7-5 6-4 No. 27 Damir Dzumhur def. Maximilian Marterer, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 Alex De Minaur def. No. 29 Marco Cecchinato, 6-4, 6(6)-7, 7-6(5), 6-1 Frances Tiafoe def. No. 30 Fernando Verdasco, 7-6(6), 7-6(5), 3-6, 6-3 Radu Albot def. No. 20 Pablo Carreno Busta, 3-6, 6-0, 6-7(5), 6-2, 6-1 Ernests Gulbis def. Jay Clarke, 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(3), 3-6, 6-4 Mikhail Kukushkin def. Vasek Pospisil, 6-4, 3-6, 6-2, 6-3 Benoit Paire def. Jason Jung, 7-5, 7-6(1), 6-4 Robin Haase def. Marius Copil, 7-6(0), 7-5 4-6, 7-6(4) Julien Benneteau def. Marton Fucsovics, 7-5, 7-5, 6-3 Pierre-Hugues Herbert def. Mischa Zverev, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 Feliciano Lopez def. Federico Delbonis, 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 Taylor Fritz def. Lorenzo Sonego, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 Karen Khachanov def. David Ferrer, 6-1, 7-6(3), 3-6, 7-5 Jiri Vesely def. Florian Mayer, 7-6(3), 6-4, 4-6, 6-1 Stephane Robert def. Albert Ramos-Vinolas, 7-6(5), 6-2, 6-1 Gilles Simon def. Nikoloz Basilashvili, 6-1, 7-6(5), 6-1 Simone Bolelli def. Pablo Cuevas, 7-6(5), 7-6(6), 6-1 Horacio Zeballos def. Guido Andreozzi, 4-6, 7-6(1), 6-4, 6-4 Bradley Klahn def. Yuichi Sugita, 2-6, 7-6(6), 6-2, 6-2 Bernard Tomic def. Hubert Hurkacz, 6-4, 6-2, 7-6(2) Day 3, Wednesday, July 4 No. 1 Roger Federer def. Lukas Lacko, 6-4, 6-4, 6-1 No. 3 Marin Cilic vs. Guido Pella, to finish: 6-3, 6-1, 3-4 No. 8 Kevin Anderson vs. Andreas Seppi, to finish: 6-3, 6-7(5), 6-3, 1-1 No. 9 John Isner vs. Ruben Bemelmans, to finish: 6-1, 6-4, 6-7(6), 6-7(3), 3-4 No. 11 Sam Querrey def. Sergiy Stakhovsky, 7-6(4), 6-3, 6-3 No. 13 Milos Raonic def John Millman, 7-6(4), 7-6(4), 7-6(4) Dennis Novak def. No. 17 Lucas Pouille, 6-4, 6-2, 6-7(8), 3-6, 6-2 No. 22 Adrian Mannarino def. Ryan Harrison, 7-5, 7-5, 7-6(4) No. 25 Philipp Kohlschreiber vs. Gilles Muller, to finish: 7-6(6), 6-6(5-3) No. 31 Stefanos Tsitsipas vs. Jared Donaldson, to finish: 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 3-4 Gael Monfils def. Paolo Lorenzi, 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(5), 7-6(3) Thomas Fabbiano vs. Stan Wawrinka, to finish: 7-6(7), 6-3, 5-6 Mackenzie McDonald def. Nicolas Jarry, 7-6(5), 5-7, 3-6, 6-2, 11-9 Jan-Lennard Struff def. Ivo Karlovic, 6-7(5), 3-6, 7-6(4), 7-6(4), 13-11 Radu Albot def. Aljaz Bedene, 6-2, 4-6, 7-6(3), 5-7, 6-3 Daniil Medvedev def. Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 Day 4, Thursday, July 5 No. 2 Rafael Nadal def. Mikhail Kukushkin, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 Guido Pella def. No. 3 Marin Cilic, 3-6, 1-6, 6-4, 7-6(3), 7-5 No. 4 Alexander Zverev vs. Taylor Fritz No. 5 Juan Del Potro def. Feliciano Lopez, 6-4, 6-1, 6-2 No. 8 Kevin Anderson def. Andreas Seppi, 6-3, 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-4 No. 9 John Isner vs. Ruben Bemelmans, to finish: 6-1, 6-4, 6-7(6), 6-7(3), 3-4 No. 12 Novak Djokovic def. Horacio Zeballos, 6-1, 6-2, 6-3 Jiri Vesely def. No. 14 Diego Schwartzman, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6(3) No. 15 Nick Kyrgios def. Robin Haase, 6-3, 6-4, 7-5 No. 19 Fabio Fognini def. Simone Bolelli, 6-3, 6-4, 6-1 No. 21 Kyle Edmund def.<doc-sep>
Roger Federer defeated Marin Cilic in the men's singles final last year Defending champion Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal headline the Wimbledon seedings while British No 1 Kyle Edmund is seeded 22nd. Federer won an eighth title at the All England Club last year and will be the top seed despite losing his world No 1 ranking to Nadal on Monday. The Swiss player suffered a surprise defeat to Borna Coric in the Gerry Weber Open final in Halle last weekend, while Nadal has yet to feature on grass since winning an 11th French Open title earlier this month. Rafael Nadal is seeded second despite returning to world No 1 on Monday Federer suffered back-to-back defeats in Wimbledon finals to Novak Djokovic in 2014 and 2015 but ended a four-year wait without a title at the All England Club against Marin Cilic last year. The 36-year-old won two Grand Slam titles during a resurgence in form, while Nadal won the other two major titles on offer and the pair have continued their dominance on the sport's biggest stage by sharing the Australian Open and French Open. Edmund will lead the British charge in the men's draw after his rise up the rankings this season which began with his memorable run to the Australian Open semi-finals in January. Kyle Edmund will appear at Wimbledon as British No 1 for the first time The 23-year-old also matched his career-best run to the third round of the French Open before suffering a five-set defeat to Fabio Fognini. The Brit doesn't hold a great record at the tournament and his run to the second round in 2017 is his best performance. Former US Open champion Marin Cilic underlined his grass-court credentials with a second Queen's title last weekend and Alexander Zverev complete the top-four seeds, with the draw scheduled for Wednesday. Two-time Wimbledon champion Andy Murray and three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka, who met in the first round at Eastbourne on Monday, are two notable absentees from the men's seedings after the second half of last year's campaigns were halted through injury. Murray is yet to make a final decision on whether he will feature in the tournament and is due to continue his comeback against fellow Brit Edmund at Eastbourne on Wednesday. We will keep you up to date with all the news ahead of Wimbledon including our live blogs once the action gets underway on July 2. Our next tennis action comes from the German Open in Hamburg. Watch the action live on Sky Sports Arena from Monday, July 23 from 10am. Never miss the big kick-off or have to deal with interrupted games or low quality streams with a NOW TV Sky Sports Pass this summer. You'll get exclusive coverage of the 147th Open from Carnoustie, The Ryder Cup, ATP Tour, World Darts Matchplay, and loads more starting from just £7.99. No contract.