The 2026 Wimbledon Championships get underway tomorrow, and we’ve run our eye over the men’s draw.
Breaking down each quarter, despite the chaos that ensued at Roland Garros this year, the predictions for Wimbledon almost seem straightforward.
However, we all know trying to predict a Grand Slam draw is futile.
But we’ll try anyway.
Quarter 1:
Jannik Sinner obviously the top seed, and should cruise through the first three rounds before potentially facing off with Rafael Jodar, or Denis Shapovalov, who plays very good grass court tennis.
Daniil Medvedev the other top 8 seed here, but he faces Marin Cilic first up, which won’t give him time to ease into the fortnight. If he gets through that, he should get through his next couple. On paper, a Casper Ruud v Hubert Hurkacz opening round is enticing, but knowing Ruud’s form on grass, this is a nice opportunity for Hurkacz, who has reached the semis here. Tommy Paul should also work his way into the event, and may find himself in the 3rd or 4th Rd without breaking a sweat.
Not a lot else to get excited about in this quarter.
Predicted quarter final:
Sinner v Medvedev (Paul and Hurkacz the threats).
Quarter 2:
A lot going on in this quarter!
Top seeds are Felix Auger-Aliassime and Novak Djokovic. In amongst the two of them though, there are some genuine dangers, and potential quality match ups.
Djokovic may come up against Stefanos Tsitsipas in Rd 2, and despite Tsitsipas’ rankings fall, he’s dangerous. A 4th Rd match up potentially against Joao Fonseca again, would be a wonderful rematch of their French Open classic. Andrey Rublev may have some say in that though.
For Auger-Aliassime, he may have players such as Cameron Norrie, Learner Tien, or Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in his way.
In saying that, it may end up being a predictable quarter depending on Djokovic’s form, which is a bit of a mystery.
Quarter final predictions:
Auger-Aliassime v Fonseca
Quarter 3:
Alex De Minaur and Ben Shelton bookend this quarter, and it’s fair to say both would be pretty happy with their draws. Hard to see either of them losing in the opening couple of rounds.
By the time they are drawn to face a seed, there’s not a lot of genuine threats.
Shelton may face Ugo Humbert in the third round, who can be a tricky grass court prospect, but realistically his biggest threat will likely be Jakub Mensik in round 4. Mensik reached the third round here last year, but we’re yet to really see his grass court pedigree.
For De Minaur, his projected seeds are Alejandro Tabilo in the third round, followed by Flavio Cobolli, who will definitely have some confidence after Roland Garros. He also made the quarter finals here last year, so he’s no one-surface wonder.
If the quarter-finalists don’t come from those four players, I’ll be surprised.
There are a couple of very interesting opening matches in this quarter though, with Grigor Dimitrov taking on Dane Sweeny, and Stan Wawrinka facing up to Matteo Berrettini.
Quarter final prediction: De Minaur vs Mensik
Quarter 4:
The bottom quarter holds some interest with Taylor Fritz drawing Jack Draper in the opening round. That’s probably as tough as it gets for a seeded player to begin the tournament. If he gets through that, he should be ok. Alexander Bublik always has the potential to cause some carnage, but otherwise, it doesn’t look like a quarter full of drama.
Second seed, Alexander Zverev has a potentially tricky opponent in Alexander Blockx who’s playing his first Wimbledon. However, Zverev has seen him twice, and won easily both times. His potential path might see him run into Matteo Arnaldi and Jiri Lehecka in the third and fourth rounds. It’s a pretty good draw for Zverev, and I have a sneaky feeling we might see him in the final, especially after getting his first major just a few weeks ago.
Predicted quarter final: Fritz v Zverev
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