Six years ago, Andy Murray won his third Major title at The Championships, and ended that year by achieving another career milestone: becoming the No.1 player in the world for the first time. Unfortunately, the following years were filled with injuries and surgeries. In 2022, despite an ab injury he suffered leading up to this fortnight, Murray appears as fit as he’s been since his last Slam title run in 2016. But in the second round, 2018 semifinalist John Isner stands in his way.
Wednesday’s Centre Court schedule is headlined by the same three names as Monday, as Murray shares the stage with defending champion Novak Djokovic and US Open champion Emma Raducanu. Other action on Wednesday features 2018 champ Angelique Kerber, Roland Garros finalist Casper Ruud, and two multi-time champions in 2022: Ons Jabeur and Carlos Alcaraz.
Throughout the tournament, this preview will analyze the day’s five most prominent matches, while highlighting the other notable matches on the schedule. Wednesday’s play begins at 11:00am local time.
Casper Ruud (3) vs. Ugo Humbert – 11:00am on No.2 Court
Ruud has become a formidable player on both clay and hard courts, yet his first round victory on Monday was only his third career win on grass, and his eighth match on the surface overall. By contrast, Humbert is quite accomplished on grass. Ugo advanced to the second week of this tournament in 2019, and went 8-2 on this surface last season, which included a title run in Halle. But after battling injuries and fatigue in recent months, the 24-year-old Frenchman is just 7-17 this year, and only 2-3 on grass. Humbert leads their head-to-head 2-1. He has prevailed in both their hard court meetings, while Ruud prevailed on clay. All three of their matches have gone to a deciding set. But despite his lack of experience on grass, Casper should be favored to even their head-to-head based on recent form.
Angelique Kerber (15) vs. Magda Linette – Second on No.2 Court
Kerber is now 37-12 lifetime at Wimbledon, but she also has a recent history of losing early at Majors. Angie has failed to make the second week in eight of her last 12 Slam appearances. And Linette upset a top seed just a month ago at a Major, when she took out Ons Jabeur in the first round of Roland Garros. However, Magda has only played accumulated seven tour-level win on grass in her career. Their only previous encounter occurred earlier this year on clay in Strasbourg, with Kerber prevailing in three. On grass, a much stronger surface for Angie, the 2018 champion should be able to prevail comfortably.
Novak Djokovic (1) vs. Thanasi Kokkinakis – 1:30pm on Centre Court
Djokovic overcame a stern test in the opening round from Soonwoo Kwon, eventually winning 6-4 in the fourth. That was Novak’s 80th win at The Championships, making him the only player to ever win 80 matches at every Major. On the same day, Kokkinakis procured his first-ever victory at SW19, and only his fourth tour-level win on grass. Thanasi’s battles with injuries are well-documented, but the Australian has been healthy and more active on tour the past 18 months than he has in many years. Earlier this season in his hometown of Adelaide, he captured his first ATP title. But defeating the three-time defending champion, who is 61-3 in the second round of Majors, would be a monumental upset. While Kokkinakis has some weapons that can provide Djokovic with another test, Novak remains a considerable favorite to advance.
Emma Raducanu (10) vs. Caroline Garcia – Second on Centre Court
Raducanu overcame a lot of pressure in the opening round, as well as a tough opponent in Alison Van Uytvanck, who was 12-2 on grass this season at all levels. But the 19-year-old’s draw gets no easier on Wednesday. Garcia is a former top five player who won her second French Open doubles titles a few weeks ago, and is currently on a six-match win streak in singles. Last week on the grass of Bad Homburg, Caroline won tight three-setters over both Alize Cornet and Bianca Andreescu to win her first singles title in three years. When these players met earlier this year in Indian Wells, Raducanu was victorious 6-1 in the third. If Emma can continue to withstand the overwhelming attention she’s currently receiving from the British public and press, she possesses enough firepower and consistency to collect another win over the Frenchwoman.
John Isner (20) vs. Andy Murray – Third on Centre Court
While they have not played in nearly six years, their history has been completely one-sided. Murray is 8-0 against Isner, and has secured 20 of 24 sets contested. And John did not arrive in London with much form. The 37-year-old is just 14-12 on the year, and played no grass court warmup events. On Monday, he required five sets to get past a player ranked outside the top 200. While Isner’s serve always makes him a threat to pull out a tight match, gaining his first victory over an in-form Murray on Wednesday would be surprising. Andy is coming off a run to the final of Stuttgart earlier this month, and appeared uninhibited on Monday by the ab injury that forced him to withdraw from Queen’s Club.
Other Notable Matches on Wednesday:
Anett Kontaveit (2) vs. Jule Niemeier – On Monday, the second seed broke a three-match losing streak, and also won her first match on grass in over a year. Niemeier is a 22-year-old who in the opening round claimed her first main draw victory at a Major.
Carlos Alcaraz (5) vs. Tallon Griekspoor – Alcaraz defeated Jan-Lennard Struff on Monday 6-4 in the fifth, which is only his second career win on this surface. Griekspoor took out Fabio Fognini in four, and has never advanced beyond the second round of a Slam.
Ons Jabeur (3) vs. Katarzyna Kawa (Q) – Jabeur is now 31-9 on the year, and has taken 16 of her last 18 matches on grass. Kawa is a 29-year-old who had never earned a win at a Major prior to this tournament.
Wednesday’s full Order of Play is here.