6 Matches To Watch On Day 1.
Gentlemen's singles
Marcus Willis vs Ricardas Berankis
Winning seven consecutive matches at Wimbledon usually brings the reward of the title, an invitation to the Champions' Dinner and a place in history. For Willis, the prize would be a place in the second round, as Britain's world No.775 has already had to win six matches just to make it to the main draw (that's three in the pre-qualifying tournament and three in the qualifying event). Still, it wouldn't be any old second-round match should Willis beat Berankis, as his opponent would probably be Roger Federer and the match would almost certainly be on Centre Court. Still, Berankis has some past experience at causing unhappiness for British tennis players – he was part of the Lithuanian Davis Cup team that defeated one of the competition's founding nations at a tie in Vilnius in 2010.
Gael Monfils vs Jeremy Chardy
There's really no need to pine for the days when Boris Becker would dive across a grass court. If that's your thing - watching tennis players get airborne - then you need to have your eyes on Monfils in this all-French encounter with Chardy. If anyone on Monday is going to be soaring across the All England Club, it will be Monfils, who missed his home Grand Slam at Roland Garros because of a viral infection. It's Andy Murray's view that Monfils is the greatest athlete in tennis, and the Frenchman is certainly the bravest with a willingness to fling himself at the ball. Yes, the grass is softer than a hard court, but if you don't land correctly, a dive will hurt. It will hurt a lot.
Kei Nishikori vs Sam Groth
If Groth is "dirty with the draw gods" after being paired in the opening round with Nishikori, a former Grand Slam finalist, you can imagine that the unease over the match-up is mutual. Certainly, the Japanese, whose preparation for The Championships were complicated by a rib injury, wouldn't have been performing cartwheels on Murray Mound after learning of his encounter with the Australian. And that's understandable. After all, Groth's serve has the same top speed as a sports car: 163mph. Plus, his aggressive game is well-suited to these lawns, as he showed last summer by reaching the third round, where he took a set off Roger Federer. This is the third major in succession this season that Groth has run into one of the sport's Hollywood names, having lost to Andy Murray in the second round of the Australian Open and Rafael Nadal in the opening round at Roland Garros. Still, as Groth says, if he's going to cause an upset at a Slam, it's most likely to happen here.
Ladies' singles
Angelique Kerber vs Laura Robson
For the first time, Kerber finds herself playing Wimbledon as a Grand Slam champion after her triumph at this year's Australian Open (though she hasn't won a match at a major since, after losing in the opening round at Roland Garros). As a former semi-finalist here, the German can play on grass. There is bound to be plenty of interest from Londoners – as well as from Wimbledon's global audience – in this match. A former junior champion here, Robson is still making her way back from a wrist injury. This is a repeat of a first-round match at the 2011 Championships, which Robson won.
Bethanie Mattek-Sands vs Lucie Safarova
Nothing will ever be as awkward for a singles player as facing a sibling in a Grand Slam final, as the Williams sisters did on several occasions. But perhaps the next hardest task is having to play against your regular doubles partner. That's the fate for this American-Czech duo, who won a couple of Grand Slam titles last season with triumphs at the Australian Open and Roland Garros. This will be their first meeting since those victories. Of the two, Safarova has been the most successful singles player - she was the runner-up to Serena Williams at last year's French Open.
Madison Keys vs Laura Siegemund
So Keys is now among the one per-centers of the women's game, after breaking into the top 10 in the rankings for the first time this month. A strong run this summer would solidify her position among the elite, especially as she has a lot of points to defend after making last year's quarter-finals. English grass courts agree with Keys, who won a warm-up tournament in Birmingham, and who should have too much firepower for her German opponent.
Gentlemen's singles
Marcus Willis vs Ricardas Berankis
Winning seven consecutive matches at Wimbledon usually brings the reward of the title, an invitation to the Champions' Dinner and a place in history. For Willis, the prize would be a place in the second round, as Britain's world No.775 has already had to win six matches just to make it to the main draw (that's three in the pre-qualifying tournament and three in the qualifying event). Still, it wouldn't be any old second-round match should Willis beat Berankis, as his opponent would probably be Roger Federer and the match would almost certainly be on Centre Court. Still, Berankis has some past experience at causing unhappiness for British tennis players – he was part of the Lithuanian Davis Cup team that defeated one of the competition's founding nations at a tie in Vilnius in 2010.
Gael Monfils vs Jeremy Chardy
There's really no need to pine for the days when Boris Becker would dive across a grass court. If that's your thing - watching tennis players get airborne - then you need to have your eyes on Monfils in this all-French encounter with Chardy. If anyone on Monday is going to be soaring across the All England Club, it will be Monfils, who missed his home Grand Slam at Roland Garros because of a viral infection. It's Andy Murray's view that Monfils is the greatest athlete in tennis, and the Frenchman is certainly the bravest with a willingness to fling himself at the ball. Yes, the grass is softer than a hard court, but if you don't land correctly, a dive will hurt. It will hurt a lot.
Kei Nishikori vs Sam Groth
If Groth is "dirty with the draw gods" after being paired in the opening round with Nishikori, a former Grand Slam finalist, you can imagine that the unease over the match-up is mutual. Certainly, the Japanese, whose preparation for The Championships were complicated by a rib injury, wouldn't have been performing cartwheels on Murray Mound after learning of his encounter with the Australian. And that's understandable. After all, Groth's serve has the same top speed as a sports car: 163mph. Plus, his aggressive game is well-suited to these lawns, as he showed last summer by reaching the third round, where he took a set off Roger Federer. This is the third major in succession this season that Groth has run into one of the sport's Hollywood names, having lost to Andy Murray in the second round of the Australian Open and Rafael Nadal in the opening round at Roland Garros. Still, as Groth says, if he's going to cause an upset at a Slam, it's most likely to happen here.
Ladies' singles
Angelique Kerber vs Laura Robson
For the first time, Kerber finds herself playing Wimbledon as a Grand Slam champion after her triumph at this year's Australian Open (though she hasn't won a match at a major since, after losing in the opening round at Roland Garros). As a former semi-finalist here, the German can play on grass. There is bound to be plenty of interest from Londoners – as well as from Wimbledon's global audience – in this match. A former junior champion here, Robson is still making her way back from a wrist injury. This is a repeat of a first-round match at the 2011 Championships, which Robson won.
Bethanie Mattek-Sands vs Lucie Safarova
Nothing will ever be as awkward for a singles player as facing a sibling in a Grand Slam final, as the Williams sisters did on several occasions. But perhaps the next hardest task is having to play against your regular doubles partner. That's the fate for this American-Czech duo, who won a couple of Grand Slam titles last season with triumphs at the Australian Open and Roland Garros. This will be their first meeting since those victories. Of the two, Safarova has been the most successful singles player - she was the runner-up to Serena Williams at last year's French Open.
Madison Keys vs Laura Siegemund
So Keys is now among the one per-centers of the women's game, after breaking into the top 10 in the rankings for the first time this month. A strong run this summer would solidify her position among the elite, especially as she has a lot of points to defend after making last year's quarter-finals. English grass courts agree with Keys, who won a warm-up tournament in Birmingham, and who should have too much firepower for her German opponent.
