(Tennis news) There will undoubtedly be plenty of suspense from the outset of the grass-court Grand Slam, even though some of the most captivating Wimbledon narratives will unfold over the course of the forthcoming fortnight.

Taylor Fritz vs Yannick Hanfmann

Taylor Fritz’s opening-round opponent was among the most difficult a seeded player could have received based on both form and the Pepperstone ATP Ranking.

With his victory over World No. 5 Stefanos Tsitsipas in the Eastbourne semi-final, Yannick Hanfmann rose to No. 44 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings this week. The two victories Fritz has gained in three grass competitions this season pale in comparison to the three victories Hanfmann collected in Eastbourne.

The American, though, competed in his first Grand Slam quarterfinal at Wimbledon last year before losing to Rafael Nadal in a five-set marathon. Last year, he came into the competition fresh off of winning the Eastbourne championship, but this year, in London, he will need to start from scratch to maintain his momentum.

Andy Murray vs Ryan Peniston

After winning 10 straight matches in Surbiton and Nottingham on the ATP Challenger Tour, Andy Murray had an explosive start to the grass season. While he lost to Alex de Minaur at The Queen’s Club shortly after that two-week break from competitive play, he will approach Wimbledon with two complete weeks off from playing.

In the first round, the two-time Wimbledon winner and former World No. 1 must play a fellow Briton. In his first season on grass, Ryan Peniston achieved the ATP Tour quarterfinals at The Queen’s Club and Eastbourne back-to-back before making it to the Wimbledon second round. 

The 27-year-old, Ryan Peniston played the same grass-court schedule as Murray in June, only taking on opponents from the United Kingdom in Surbiton, Nottingham, and The Queen’s Club. The two British athletes will now be the centre of their country’s attention when they compete in their home major and meet for the first time.

Frances Tiafoe vs Wu Yibing

After winning the first match on a grass court in Stuttgart earlier in June, Frances Tiafoe became the first player to enter the Top 10 of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings. The American has maintained that standing to earn a Top 10 seed at Wimbledon, where he will try to surpass his fourth-round performance from the previous season, which set a career-best. Tiafoe enters this year’s tournament with a lot of confidence after winning two titles thus far. 

In Dallas in February, Wu Yibing won his first ATP Tour championship. He then advanced to the quarterfinals in Geneva. The Chinese star has faced players like Kyrgios and World No. 7 Andrey Rublev throughout his grass season, defeating Kyrgios in Stuttgart and falling to Rublev in a three-set match in Halle. For the second straight match, he will face a Top 10 opponent in his Wimbledon debut against Tiafoe.

Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Dominic Thiem

The nine previous meetings between Dominic Thiem and Stefanos Tsitsipas took place on some of the biggest tennis stages. Along with their two encounters at the Nitto ATP Finals, which includes the 2019 title game that Tsitsipas won, they have also faced off at three ATP Masters 1000 tournaments at Roland Garros.

In their most recent meeting at the Mutua Madrid Open in April, Thiem, who currently leads the series 5-4, was defeated in an exciting three-set match. The Greek gave Tsitsipas some words of support at the net after the Greek emerged victorious in their first meeting since 2020, 3-6, 6-1, 7-6(5).

“Your best [match] yet. You still have it,” Tsitsipas said to the Austrian, who has struggled to sustain top form since coming back from a wrist injury last season. “Keep going. You’ve got this,” Tsitsipas added.

The Greek comes into Wimbledon with a 1-3 record on grass this year, while Thiem lost to Alexander Zverev in his lone 2023 grass tournament at Halle. Despite having a ranking difference of 85 places, both players are looking to play the kind of tennis that has allowed them to consistently advance far into major tournaments.
Also read: Nick Kyrgios withdraws from Wimbledon 2023