Day 5 at The Championships is scheduled to host the beginning of third round singles play, as well as second round doubles play.  However, there is a lot of rain in the forecast for Friday.  With play only guaranteed on the two covered stadiums, today’s preview will focus on matches scheduled for Centre Court and No.1 Court.

Thankfully, the two main show courts provide plenty of interesting matchups on Friday, headlined by defending champion Carlos Alcaraz taking on Frances Tiafoe in a rematch of an excellent US Open semifinal from two years ago.  Plus, a pair of US Open champions, Bianca Andreescu and Emma Raducanu, will individually face top 10 seeds, in Jasmine Paolini and Maria Sakkari, respectively.  And two entertaining veterans, Grigor Dimitrov and Gael Monfils, will face off in the third round.

Other scheduled for Friday include Major champions Jannik Sinner, Coco Gauff, and Daniil Medvedev.

Throughout the tournament, this preview will analyze the day’s four most prominent matches, while highlighting the other notable matches on the schedule.  Friday’s play is scheduled to begin at 11:00am local time.

Jasmine Paolini (7) vs. Bianca Andreescu – 1:00pm on No.1 Court

What a breakthrough season this has been for Paolini.  Prior to 2024, she had never advanced beyond the second round of a Major.  But after winning her first WTA 1000 title in Dubai, the 28-year-old Italian advanced all the way to the championship match of Roland Garros, most notably upsetting Elena Rybakina in the quarterfinals.  She’s now 26-12 this season, and didn’t drop a set in her first two rounds this week.

Andreescu’s breakthrough season took place five years, when she came out of nowhere to go 46-7 at all levels, and to win Indian Wells, Toronto, and the US Open.  But unfortunately the last several years for Bianca have been filled with injuries, illness, and even depression.  Yet, having played just four events since last summer, she’s gone 8-3 across the past six weeks.  The Canadian also won her first two rounds in straight sets.

This is a rematch from the same round of Roland Garros a month ago, when Paolini prevailed in three sets.  But Roland Garros was Andreescu’s first tournament in nearly a year, and grass is a surface that better rewards her power and guile.  I give Bianca the slight edge on Friday.

Carlos Alcaraz (3) vs. Frances Tiafoe (29) – 1:30pm on Centre Court

These are two of the sport’s most electrifying and charismatic players, who share a mutual respect and liking for one another.  In the 2022 US Open semifinals, Tiafoe won a fourth-set tiebreak to even the match at two-sets-all, before eventually losing 6-3 in the fifth, after a nearly four-and-a-half hour battle.  Their only other meeting went to Frances, though that occurred over three years ago, while Carlitos was still ranked outside the top 100. 

Since winning this event last summer, Alcaraz has only won two titles, but they were both big ones: Indian Wells and Roland Garros.  So while his early-round loss two weeks ago at Queen’s Club to Jack Draper was not ideal preparation for his title defense, Carlitos has shown he can up his game when it matters most. 

Tiafoe has struggled mightily this season, as he was 13-15 heading into this tournament.  However, his opening round comeback from two-sets-down against Matteo Arnaldi may have been exactly what he needed to jump start his year. 

Yet considering how much higher Carlitos’ top level is compared to that of Frances, the American would have to maintain an extremely high level across five sets to defeat Alcaraz, and that feels like asking too much of a player lacking his best tennis.  Alcaraz is a strong favorite to advance to the round of 16.

Grigor Dimitrov (10) vs. Gael Monfils  – Second on No.1 Court

Like Tiafoe, Dimitrov was already only a set away from exiting this event, having to come from two-sets-down on Thursday against Juncheng Shang.  As impressive as 19-year-old Juncheng has been, it was quite a surprise to see Grigor lose the first two sets, as he’s been having one of the best seasons of his career.  Dimitrov is 31-10 in 2024, and has reached three tour finals.  He now focuses on reaching the fourth round of The Championships for the second straight year, and for the fourth time in his career.

Wimbledon has easily been the weakest Slam of Monfils’ career, as he’s just 19-12 lifetime, and has only once advanced to the fourth round.  He’s also only 18-14 on the year, though he’s actually found some good form on grass.  Gael was a semifinalist last week in Mallorca, and already earned two considerable victories this week, over Adrian Mannarino and Stan Wawrinka.

Monfils is 4-1 against Dimitrov, in a rivalry that dates back to 2011.  However, this will be their first match in over eight years, and Grigor is undeniably the better player at this stage of their careers.  On a surface where Dimitrov owns much stronger results than Monfils, Grigor should be favored to prevail.

Emma Raducanu vs. Maria Sakkari (9) – Second on Centre Court

Raducanu is currently playing the best tennis we’ve seen from her since the shocking run she made to the US Open title in 2021.  Last week in Eastbourne, she earned her first-ever top 10 win, over Jessica Pegula.  And on Wednesday, she crushed Elise Mertens by a score of 6-1, 6-2, in a match that saw the Brit striking winners from all over the court.  Emma is 2-0 in the third round of Majors, with both victories coming in the summer of 2021, including one here at Wimbledon.

Sakkari has actually never advanced beyond this round of The Championships, and she’s just 10-7 in eight appearances here.  But she easily secured her first two matches in straights, despite arriving at SW19 on a four-match losing streak.

Their only prior meeting was quite monumental, as Raducanu defeated Sakkari in the semifinals of the 2021 US Open on her way to the title.  Maria was a considerable favorite on that day, so she’d surely enjoy avenging that heartbreaking loss on Friday.  But based on recent form, and considering the surface, I like Emma’s chances to defeating Maria again, especially with a partisan Centre Court audience cheering her on.

Other Notable Matches on Friday:

Jan-Lennard Struff vs. Daniil Medvedev (5) – Medvedev has dropped just one set to this stage, while Struff has dropped two.  Medvedev leads their tour-level head-to-head 5-1, though they’ve split two meetings on grass. 

Marta Kostyuk (18) vs. Madison Keys (12) – On Thursday, Kostyuk outlasted Daria Saville in an over three-hour three-setter, saving a match point along the way.  Keys won her first two matches in straights.  Their only prior encounter took place a year ago in the same round of this same tournament, with Madison prevailing 6-4, 6-1.

Sonay Kortal (Q) vs. Coco Gauff (2) – Gauff has lost only three games in each of her first two rounds.  Kortal is a 22-year-old British qualifier who upset 29^th-seeded Sorana Cirstea in the first round. 

Jannik Sinner (1) vs. Miomir Kecmanovic – Sinner overcame a big second round test in the form of fellow Italian Matteo Berrettini on Wednesday.  Kecmanovic has already played nine sets to this stage, though he upset 27^th-seeded Tallon Griekspoor in the last round.

Friday’s full Order of Play is here.

After spending the past few years predominantly on the Challenger Tour, Sumit Nagal is currently in the midst of a breakthrough season. 

The 26-year-old is ranked 73rd in the world after cracking the top 100 for the first time in February. At the Australian Open, he became the first Indian man to beat a seeded player at a Grand Slam for 35 years after upsetting Alexander Bublik in the first round. Then in Monte Carlo, he became the first singles player from his country to win a main draw Masters 1000 match, as well as the first to qualify for the tournament in 42 years.

Nagal’s rapid rise earned him the right to play in Wimbledon this year for the first time. A big coup for India considering the last time they had a player in the men’s singles draw was Prajnesh Gunneswaran in 2019. Unfortunately, Nagal’s experience at The All-England Club was brief. He lost his opening match  2-6, 6-3, 3-6, 4-6 to Miomir Kecmanovic, as well as in the first round of the doubles event.  

“It was a great experience,” he tells Ubitennis.

“I really enjoyed it. I played on grass after a very long time. I did lack a bit of experience on it but it was a good lesson and an amazing atmosphere.

“What a feeling to play in the main draw of Wimbledon.  It has a very unique and different vibe compared to the other slams.

“It’s not the result I wanted, especially in singles but for the circumstances I had, I think I will take this and try to improve on the things that I need to.”

Incredibly, Wimbledon was the first time Nagal had played a grasscourt event since 2018. Whilst there is clear disappointment about his performance, it doesn’t change what has largely been a strong year for him so far.

“I think the moment of breaking the top hundred because for so long, I was close to it but never really broke it.” He replied when asked what his standout achievement of 2024 has been so far. 

“Also winning the challenger in Chennai,  I did end up crying. That moment meant a lot to me.”

“I see change but not in a positive way”

Coming from a country that has an estimated population of 1.4 billion people, some might expect Nagal to be hamperedby high expectations or a surge in popularity. However, this isn’t the case.

“In tennis, India’s single tennis players are not really known for it. so I don’t think there is there is a much of expectation.” He explained.

“We have a singles player once in five years who’s playing a slam once in seven years. So I don’t feel it that way.

“I would say there are more expectations from myself because I do want to do well in my career and I want to climb the rankings. Keep on knocking on those doors of different sorts of challenges that I go through.”

There have been plenty of challenges for Nagal throughout his life. As a youngster, he was based in Bengaluru and trained at an academy set up by Mahesh Bhupathi. However, when the facility shut down he ended up setting off to Canada as a teenager to develop his tennis. Over the coming years, he would continue to experience highs and lows. At the 2019 US Open, he famously took a set off Roger Federer but three years later he found himself outside the top 600 due to a combination of injury, the Covid-19 pandemic and his inner demons. At the end of 2022, he had less than €1000 in his bank account. 

Unlike other countries, Sumit relies on private support instead of his national federation, the All India Tennis Association (AITA). 

“It’s a little bit, a little bit tough to get any help from them.” He said.

He doesn’t refrain from speaking openly about the concerns he has about tennis back home. Certain ‘changes’ taking place cause concern for him and his only hope is that action can be taken to correct it. As it currently stands, India has only three players in the top 500 on the PIF ATP ranking but Nagal is the only one in the top 300. To put that into perspective, there are 12 British, 18 Australian and 24 Italian players in the top 300.

“Right now we are struggling in singles especially. We don’t have enough players to compete at the highest levels in singles.” He said. 

“I think it’s gonna take a while. I do see a bit of change but not in a positive way. What is going on in the country, I just hope someone can take a step and start to change things around. Otherwise, it’s going to be very, very tough.

“It’s going to be the same story. One top 100 player in ten years, 15 years, maybe something like this. But if things don’t change around, it’s it’s not gonna be much, much better than this.”

As to what these issues are, Nagal believes the current tennis structure in India is missing the basics. 

“We are still missing a base, a fundamental, a system which is not there. And if you want to play at this level, you need this. This is the most basic thing you can have.” He continued.

“Have few good coaches and have balls to practice. This is just the basic and we don’t really have it.

“I’m not even gonna get into details because the first step would be to have a high-performance program going on.

“I don’t know if it’s going to be by the association or by the private sponsors, but, if you want to create players to play at the high level, you have to give these things or else it’s always going to be a player trying to find private funding, living in outside India, playing either in America or Europe or somewhere.”

The future

It is no secret that Nagal doesn’t always see eye-to-eye with the AITA and he has voiced similar concerns before. However, that doesn’t affect the national pride he has. Something he hopes to demonstrate at the Paris Olympics which will be held at Roland Garros. At the Tokyo Games, he was the first Indian to reach the second round in 25 years.  

“My goal from the beginning of the year was to play in the Olympics. It’s a proud, proud feeling for me. This is going to be my second, second Olympic.” He said. 

“I’m gonna another chance for me to try my best and and and keep the flag high for India.”

Nagal now aims to play a couple of tournaments on the clay to get ready for Paris. Then the US swing will be calling him. 

“That biggest goal is being healthy because if you’re healthy and you’re playing tournaments, that’s the best thing you can ask for.” He concludes.

Day 4 at The Championships sees the continuation of second round play in singles, as well as first round play in doubles, though rain may continue to disrupt matters.

With two-time champion Andy Murray having played his last singles match at Wimbledon, Great Britain is eager to discover who will be their next title contender.  22-year-old Jack Draper is the most likely candidate, as he’s the current British No.1, and is coming off a grass court title a few weeks ago in Stuttgart.  However, 28-year-old Cameron Norrie was a semifinalist here two years ago, and on Thursday he gets a chance to reassert himself into the conversation against Draper.

Speaking of Murray, while his singles career at his favorite tournament may be over, his doubles career is far from it.  On Wednesday, it was announced he will play mixed doubles alongside fellow Brit Emma Raducanu.  And on Thursday, he’ll play his first round match in men’s doubles on Centre Court, alongside brother Jamie. 

Other matches on Day 4 include Major champions such as Novak Djokovic, Iga Swiatek, Elena Rybakina, and Caroline Wozniacki, who faces 2021 US Open finalist Leylah Fernandez.

Throughout the tournament, this preview will analyze the day’s four most prominent matches, while highlighting the other notable matches on the schedule.  Thursday’s play begins at 11:00am local time.

Hubert Hurkacz (7) vs. Arthur Fils – 11:00am on No.2 Court

Since the start of Wimbledon last July, Hurkacz has rather quietly accumulated 57 match wins, and currently sits at a new career-high of No.7 in the world.  Grass is most certainly his strongest surface, as  Hubi’s only Major semifinal came here three years ago, when he defeated Roger Federer in what would be Federer’s last-ever singles match.  Two weeks ago, Hurkacz was the runner-up in Halle, where he beat Sascha Zverev in the semis.  The seventh seed came from a set down to prevail in four sets against Radu Albot on Tuesday.

Fils was also victorious in four sets on Tuesday, over Dominic Stricker.  The 20-year-old Frenchman had a breakout season in 2023, winning his first ATP title on clay in his home country, at a 250-level event in Lyon.  But Arthur is just 17-16 at tour level in 2024, and only 4-4 lifetime on grass. 

In their first career meeting, Hurkacz is a clear favorite on this surface, despite Fils’ impressive power on his serve and groundstrokes.  Hubi is a potential quarterfinal opponent for Djokovic, which would be a dangerous draw for the 23-time Major champion.

Jack Draper (28) vs. Cameron Norrie – Second on No.1 Court

Like Hurkacz, Draper is currently at a career-best ranking, as the World No.28.  Jack is 21-13 on the year, and his title run in Stuttgart last month was his second final of the year, after being the runner-up this past January in Adelaide.  He has dealt with a few injuries in his young career, as well as cramping issues in warmer conditions, though the forecast remains rather cool this week at SW19.  Placed on Centre Court on Tuesday after Murray pulled out of the singles draw earlier in the day, Draper was understandably nervous, yet managed to advance in five over Elias Ymer.

Norrie was a top 20 mainstay for over two years, peaking at No.8 in September of 2022.  But he has fallen outside the top 40 in 2024, with a record of just 16-14.  Cam has suffered both a wrist and foot injury during this season.  The 2022 semifinalist won in straight sets on Tuesday, over Facundo Diaz Acosta.

These left-handed Brits have played twice before, and Norrie has taken both meetings.  However, they both occurred a few years ago, while Draper was still ranked well outside the top 100.  This will be a tricky and nerve-filled encounter for both, as the eyes of the British public and media are on both to see who is truly the best British player in men’s singles.  Recent form dictates Draper be considered the favorite, but if this match goes the distance, that likely favors Norrie, who is one of the fittest players on tour.

Rinky Hijikata and John Peers vs. Andy Murray and Jamie Murray – Third on Centre Court

It will be quite an emotional moment to watch Andy Murray return to Centre Court in his last year playing Wimbledon, especially alongside his older brother Jamie.  The Murray brothers teamed up to help lead Great Britain to the Davis Cup title in 2015.  However, they do not regularly team up, and it was only two weeks ago that Andy had a small procedure done on his back after withdrawing from Queen’s Club. 

But Australia’s Hijikata and Peers are also not a regular partnership, though both have achieved strong doubles results with different partners.  Rinky won the Australian Open men’s doubles title last year alongside another Australian, Jason Kubler.  Peers has won both a men’s doubles and mixed doubles title at Majors, and is a two-time doubles champion at the ATP Finals.

The crowd will certainly play an influential role on Thursday, yet considering Andy’s back issue, it’s hard to consider the Murrays as the favorites, despite what any heartstrings may say.  However, Andy has created plenty of magic on Centre Court in his career, and Jamie is an extremely accomplished doubles player, as he’s a seven-time Major champion between men’s and mixed doubles.  It’s extremely rare to see a doubles match on Centre Court this early in The Championships, but this is a special occasion, and it should be highly entertaining.

Caroline Wozniacki (WC) vs. Leylah Fernandez (30) – Not Before 4:30pm on Court 12

In her first match at Wimbledon since 2019, Wozniacki looked really sharp, taking out Alycia Parks by the score of 6-2, 6-0.  Wimbledon is the only Major where Caroline has never reached a quarterfinal, though she actually owns more wins here than at Roland Garros.  The 2018 Australian Open champ is now 14-12 since unretiring last summer, but she’s a more impressive 5-2 at Majors.

Fernandez is a modest 18-14 this season, but she’s been playing quite well coming into this fortnight.  At Roland Garros, she lost a tight, high-quality two-setter to Ons Jabeur in the third round.  And just last week in Eastbourne, Leylah advanced all the way to the final, losing to Daria Kasatkina.  Like Wozniacki, Fernandez was also a straight-set winner in her opening round, to earn just her second career victory at Wimbledon.

In another first-time matchup, I give the slight edge to Wozniacki.  Her flat hitting can be tough to counteract on this surface, and Caroline is still a great mover.  Despite Leylah’s run last week, she remains rather inexperienced on grass, with just 16 career matches.  The winner may face 2022 champion Elena Rybakina in the third round.

Other Notable Matches on Thursday:

Jacob Fearnley (WC) vs. Novak Djokovic (2) – Djokovic made a strong showing in his first match after knee surgery, dropping just five games on Tuesday.  Fearnley is a 22-year-old British wild card ranked 277^th in the world, who this week earned his first-ever victory at a Major.

Iga Swiatek (1) vs. Petra Martic – Swiatek comfortably overcame Sofia Kenin on Tuesday.  She is 3-0 against Martic, which includes a victory at this same event a year ago.

Marcos Giron vs. Alexander Zverev (4) – Zverev is just 14-7 lifetime at Wimbledon, by far his worst Major.  But he’s 1-0 against Giron, who has never advanced beyond the second round of The Championships.

Elena Rybakina (4) vs. Laura Siegemund – Rybakina lost just four games in her opening round.  She leads Siegemund 3-1 at tour level, and Laura is just 2-4 lifetime in singles at this tournament.

Thursday’s full Order of Play is here.