Early Wimbledon 2023 Thoughts

Let’s discuss the first round of Wimbledon, which hasn’t even wrapped up yet because of the rain in the area.

ATP

I’m still going with my early predictions here. Djokovic is winning this tournament.

Alcaraz seems to be in good form. I really want to see an epic final between him and Djokovic.

I can see Murray making a somewhat deep run, but he will not be able to make upsets against any top players who are in good form.

I need Sinner’s fitness to hold up long enough for a deep run. He could win it all. I like his chances against Djokovic more than Alcaraz’s.

I’m honestly expecting an early exit from Ruud.

I wish I had more thoughts about the top players, but they are terrible at scheduling matches over at Wimbledon. And the rain makes things even worse! Let’s move on to the WTA.

WTA

Swiatek looks more comfortable playing on grass, but not comfortable enough to win. I don’t see her beating Rybakina, Sabalenka, Krejcikova, Kvitova, or any player of their caliber on the surface.

Rybakina needs some time to warm up a bit more, but she has a definite shot at defending her title.

Sabalenka is still by far my favorite to win the title. It’s basically her against the field.

It’s time for Coco Gauff to take the next few months off to fix her forehand and her footwork (the technical aspect of it—she has the best raw speed on the tour). Both are messy and imprecise. The way I see it, she takes a few months off, loses some points, and emerges as someone who could grab multiple slams and the #1 ranking—or she doesn’t improve these aspects of her game, keeps playing, people find out her weaknesses, and she stays a journeywoman for the majority of her career.

I actually think this is Jabeur’s best surface, but I wish she had more weapons or better shot tolerance. I can’t see her winning a final without one of those aspects.

Thanks for reading and sorry for the short post. I blame the rain and the scheduling!