Australian Players Face Tough Draws at 2023 Wimbledon
Should Nick Kyrgios successfully navigate the first week of the grand slam, he will be up against Novak Djokovic, setting up a rematch of last year’s Wimbledon final.
Kyrgios missed the Australian Open and French Opens due to injury, meaning he will lack match practice on grass before his first-round encounter with David Goffin. His path to success at Wimbledon looks tough, with a potential third-round match against Russian seventh seed Andrey Rublev and a quarterfinal showdown with Djokovic, assuming he makes it that far.
Meanwhile, Alex de Minaur, Australia’s top-seeded player, is also faced with a challenging draw. He will begin his Wimbledon journey against qualifier Kimmer Coppejans in the first round. If he advances, he might face Alexander Zverev in the third round and top seed Carlos Alcaraz in the round of 16. Despite de Minaur’s solid performance on grass, doubts have been raised following his loss to Alcaraz in the Queens’ Club final.
Tennis reporter Marc McGowan shared his thoughts on the draw, describing it as a “brutal draw for the Australian men.” He believes both Kyrgios and de Minaur will need extraordinary performances to progress beyond the fourth round.
Sadly, Thanasi Kokkinakis did not qualify for the main draw, meaning he won’t be participating in Wimbledon after reaching the third round of the French Open.
Moving to the women’s singles draw, only two Australian tennis players remain after Ajla Tomljanovic’s injury withdrawal. Storm Hunter will now face Xinyu Wang. In an intriguing coincidence, Daria Saville will compete against British hopeful Katie Boulter, who happens to be Alex de Minaur’s girlfriend.
On another note, World No. 1 Iga Swiatek encountered a scare at Wimbledon, having to withdraw from her Bad Homburg semi-final due to suspected food poisoning. Swiatek expressed her regret on social media and will focus on recovering in time for the tournament. Her first-round match at the All England Club is scheduled against China’s Zhu Lin, but despite her achievements, she has yet to progress beyond the last 16 at Wimbledon.
Wimbledon First Round Draw For Australians
Here are the first-round matches for Australians at Wimbledon:
Men:
Alex de Minaur (15) vs K Coppejans (Q)
Chris O’Connell vs H Medjedovic (Q)
Alexei Popyrin vs Dom Stricker
Aleks Vukic vs D Altmaier
Max Purcell vs Andrey Rublev (7)
Nick Kyrgios (30) vs D Goffin (WC)
Jordan Thompson vs Brandon Nakashima
Women:
Storm Hunter vs Xinyu Wang
Daria Saville vs Katie Boulter
For the latest updates and odds on the upcoming matches featuring Australian players in the first round of Wimbledon, head to the top tennis betting sites.
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