Despite arriving at SW19 with two grass-court titles under his belt, the No.1 US seed Taylor Fritz is more than aware there is the potential of a first-round shock as he prepares to face Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard today on Court 2.
Fritz, who enters Wimbledon on the back of winning his first Stuttgart title and a record-extending fourth Eastbourne title, should be full of confidence. However 6’8″ Perricard, who reached the fourth-round of Wimbledon last year as a lucky loser, is a potential early banana-skin for the in-form American. Armed with a monster serve and unconventional attacking style, he has a habit of causing players to be dragged out of their comfort zone.
Speaking at the pre-Wimbledon press conference Fritz addressed this candidly.
“It’s a scary match, because some things are more out of your control than in other matches. It’s not easy when you play someone like him. It could potentially come down to a couple of points, a couple of shots. But historically, I have done well against big servers. I’m going to go out there and do my job, which is to take care of my own service games.”
If Fritz prevails today against the unorthodox Perricard, he will undoubtedly back himself to at least match last year’s quarter-final appearance, with his biggest obstacle being a potential fourth-round blockbuster against Daniil Medvedev, a semi-finalist in each of the past two years.
If Fritz were to go further than last year’s quarter-final appearance and reach the championship match, he would fancy his chances of claiming the coveted Gentlemen’s Singles Trophy, given his impressive 5-0 record in grass court finals. In previous years, there were questions around his scheduling ahead of majors, but the Californian now ensures his conditioning and fitness are at a level to make deep runs in tournaments week on week.
The match is scheduled to take place on Court No.2 today, not before 3pm.
