Wimbledon Predictions 2022: SportsTips’ Top Tennis Picks For Round 2

The grass court action continues to heat up (despite the rain), and the team at SportsTips.com are previewing the best six games of the second round. Read below to check out our picks for the three best men’s and three best women’s games for Round 2 at Wimbledon for 2022!

The second round at Wimbledon is upon us, and it was somewhat of a bloodbath on the women’s side of the draw for the Americans, but nonetheless there are still a number of American women to cheer on. Unfortunately, the comeback of Williams was short lived, as she went down to Tan in a third set tie break.

On the men’s side of the draw, the highest seed to be eliminated in the first round was sixth seed Auger Aliassime, who went down to American Cressy in four tight sets. There were a number of four and five set matches in the first round, only time will tell if this will impact players in the latter half of the tournament.

Enjoy our free tennis picks and predictions for each round at Wimbledon for 2022.

Round 2 Tennis Picks at Wimbledon: Men’s Draw

Novak Djokovic (1) vs Thanasi Kokkinakis

The number one seed, Novak Djokovic, is into the second round here at Wimbledon, and he will face off against Australian, Thanasi Kokkinakis. Djokovic didn’t have it all his way in the first round, dropping the second set to unseeded Kwon. The Australian had an easier ride into the second round, beating Majchrzak in straight sets, however there is no denying this will be a much, much tougher match.

Jeffery Thomas

Defending Wimbledon Champion Novak Djokovic played his first competitive match on grass this season in the first round against Kwon Soon-woo and was pretty rusty at times. He went down an early break in the first set, before losing the second and having to save multiple breakpoints in the third and fourth sets of his 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory. It’s a similar formula to last season when he didn’t play a lead up tournament heading into Wimbledon and then lost a set in the first round to an inexperienced Jack Draper. 

He recovered from that by only losing one set the rest of the way which was in the final and he’s hoping to replicate a similar path this year. Round two for Novak is Australian Thanasi Kokkinakis who got his first win at the Grand Slam event this season after two first round defeats at the Australian and French Opens. He took out Kamil Majchrzak in straight sets in 2.5 hours, saving 6 of the 7 breakpoints he faced. These two have met once before back at the 2015 French Open where Nole won in straight sets and while Thanasi has improved considerably since then, I don’t see him offering much of a challenge on grass. 

Marko Nadin

Novak Djokovic has started well this year in Wimbledon even though no one expected him to lose a set against Kwon Soon-woo. Despite that, the Serbian had full control of the match and looks ready to win his seventh title in Wimbledon. Djokovic is currently third in the ATP rankings and will stay there after Wimbledon because the points won in London will not count in the rankings this year. Djokovic is 18-5 for the season including 2-0 on grass. He has met Kokkinakis once before and defeated him in straight sets at the 2015 French Open.

Thanasi Kokkinakis is a player who was projected to be one of the best among the new wave of players, but has not come even close to that status. The Australian is currently 79th in the rankings with his career-high being ten spots higher. The 26-year-old is coming off a 7-6, 6-2, 7-5 win over Kamil Majchrzak in the opening round. He is 19-10 for the season and 1-1 on grass. Kokkinakis will go strong and brave against Djokovic but that will not bring him anything. 

Jack Hartman

Novak Djokovic advanced into round 2 after a win against South Korea’s Kwon Soon-woo in Round 1. Djokovic would have been pleased that he was made to work for his win and that any rust he had is now out of his system. As Djokovic searches for a 21st Grand Slam title, he will have to overcome a tricky draw and today’s match against Aussie Thanasi Kokkinakis certainly won’t be easy. The Australian has finally been able to shake off the injuries and has enjoyed a return into the world’s top 100.

Kokkinakis has a big game which should be suited to the grass courts. A big server, Kokkinakis should be able to cause Djokovic plenty of problems, the biggest test is whether the rest of his game can stand up. This should be a great test for the Serbian who once again will need to be at his brilliant best to come through this tricky match. It wouldn’t be a surprise if this match we were to see a couple of tie-breaks and because of that I think this match will go at least 4 sets. 

Andy Murray vs John Isner (20)

The local comeback hopeful, Andy Murray, has successfully navigated his way into the second round, much to the crowd’s delight, and next up is the big serve of American John Isner. Murray looked a bit shaky in the first round, dropping the first set to Australian Duckworth, but from then on in, it was smooth sailing as he won the next three sets. The 20th seed was taken to five sets in his first round appearance against Frenchmen Couacaud.

Jeffery Thomas

Local favorite Andy Murray returned from an abdominal injury just in time for Wimbledon and took down James Duckworth in the first round, much to the fan’s delight. He had to rally from a set down in that match and now sits with a grass court record of 9-2 on the season. Murray will look to build upon his perfect 13-0 record in second round matches at Wimbledon when he takes on a familiar foe in John Isner on Wednesday. Isner had a rough go of it in the first round, trailing by a set twice in the match but eventually came through in five long gruelling sets. 

The 37-year-old American has never had much success here at Wimbledon as he has only made it to the semifinals once in his first 11 appearances. Isner will now try to just get to the third round but to do so he’ll have to take down Andy Murray who is 9-0 against him. The Brit loves matching up against big servers like Isner and this should be another relatively routine win.

Marko Nadin

It is good to see Andy Murray win at Wimbledon after all the injuries he went through. The two-time champion is probably not ready to play a lot of matches in a week but he will definitely go all-in as long as he stays in the tournament. The Scot is currently 52nd in the ATP rankings and has a 20-10 record for the season including 9-2 on grass. In the opening round, Murray defeated James Duckworth by 3-1 after losing the opening set. Now he will go against John Isner, a player who Murray has defeated in all 9 head-to-head matches.

John Isner is pretty dangerous on grass since he has one of the best serves in the tour and has gained a lot of experience playing in Wimbledon. The American is currently 24th in the ATP rankings with his career-high being at no. 8. The 37-year-old is 14-12 for the season and 1-0 on grass. In the opening round, Isner defeated Enzo Couacaud in five sets, turning things around after being down 1-2. Isner’s best result in Wimbledon came in 2018 when he made it to the semifinals where he lost to Kevin Anderson 26-24 in the final set.

Jack Hartman

As a British tennis fan it is amazing to see Andy Murray back on Wimbledon’s Center Court and playing well. Make no mistake, if Murray is fit he certainly has a chance of a deep tournament run. His opening round win against James Duckworth wasn’t his best performance but he would have been delighted to win in four reasonably easy sets. The best thing about watching Murray is his movement. He looks pain free, and doesn’t seem to be struggling to change direction and seems to still have some of his trademark speed around the court. Alongside Djokovic, Murray is right up there as one of the best grass court players in the world. He has a great chance of winning this match. 

For John Isner, it looks like he is in the twilight of his career. It’s been a mixed year for the American who hasn’t won the amount of matches he would have expected. Now at 35, Isner’s serve looks to have lost a bit of its pop and he can look a little vulnerable now in his matches. He has never beaten Murray in nine attempts and despite being the seeded player this time around, that losing stretch could drag on here. I’m sure there will be tie-breaks galore which make any set betting tough to call but I’m going to stick my neck out and predict that Murray wins in straight sets.

Denis Shapovalov (13) vs Brandon Nakashima

Canadien Denis Shapovalov will play American Brandon Nakashima in what is set to be an interesting second round clash. Shapovalov got through the first round the hard way, in five sets, against Frenchmen Rinderknech. Nakashima was up against German, Kuhn, in the first round, and he won that match in four sets.

Jeffery Thomas

Canadien Denis Shapovalov was able to snap his six-match losing streak by taking down Arthur Rinderknech in five sets in the first round here at Wimbledon. Shapo raced out to a set lead by winning the first 6-1 before losing the next two in tiebreaks and having to rally from behind to advance. It was a true test of his mental toughness to stick in there and come back after not tasting any success in the form of a win in almost two months. He’ll look to add another win to his resume in the second round against young American Brandon Nakashima, who took out German Nicola Kuhn in the first round. 

It was the first win at Wimbledon in the young career for Brandon and he got it done with relative ease, winning in four sets. These two have surprisingly never faced off against each other but there’s not much between them in terms of this matchup. Shapovalov has the superior talent of the two but Nakashima is a fighter with plenty of raw ability and weapons to give Denis all he can handle. I can see this match going either way honestly and I think we will be in for a long one so taking the over 3.5 sets is a great look for me.

Marko Nadin

Denis Shapovalov loves to play on grass and will have a chance to reach the third round in a match against a player he has never played before. The Canadian is currently 16th in the ATP rankings with his career-high being at no. 10. The 23-year-old is 17-14 for the season and 1-3 on grass. He is coming off a 3-2 win in the opening round against Arthur Rindernech, losing the second and the third sets in tie-breaks. Last year, Shapovalov reached the semifinal in Wimbledon, where he lost to Novak Djokovic in three sets.

Brandon Nakashima is currently 56th in the ATP rankings, two spots lower than his career-high. The 20-year-old American is 19-16 for the season and 8-3 on grass. This is his second appearance in Wimbledon and the first time to make it to the second round. In the opening round, Nakashima defeated Nicola Kuhn by 3-1. He has a solid serve but does not move very well and Shapovalov will know how to take advantage of that.

Jack Hartman

Is there a more frustrating player to watch in all of tennis than Denis Shapovalov. One of the most beautiful players to watch, the Canadian has a tonne of talent but seems to be a little weak in the mind. Shapovalov is always vulnerable early in Grand Slams and it wasn’t surprising to see him pushed all the way to five sets by Frenchmen Arthur Rinderknech. Ultimately the most important thing is that Shapovalov got through but how much it took out of him remains to be seen. 

Shapovalov’s opponent in the second round is Brandon Nakashima and I think the young American is going to be destined for the very top of the game. His ranking is steadily improving and the twenty year old is now ranked at 56 in the world. He made pretty quick work of Germany’s Nicolas Kuhn in the first round and won’t have any fears in taking on the more experienced Shapovalov here. Shapovalov will deservedly start as the favorite for the match and has the better grass court pedigree following his semifinal at last year’s Championship. However, this is a tight match to call and we will go with the American to cause the shock. 

Round 2 Tennis Picks at Wimbledon: Women’s Draw

Jule Niemeier vs Anett Kontaveit (2)

Unseeded German, Niemeier, has successfully navigated her way into the second round at Wimbledon, and she will face a tough task here when she goes up against the second seed, Kontaveit. It was a breezy win for Niemeier in the first round, only dropping five games in the win. It was a similar story for Kontaveit, who also won in straight sets, and dropped six games in the process.

Jeffery Thomas

Anett Kontaveit had not won a match since Stuttgart back in April coming into Wimbledon but was able to come through in her first round match against Bernarda Para in straight sets. Kontaveit was one of the most in-form players to end the 2021 season and had high hopes for this year before catching COVID and still showing lingering effects from it. She’ll now try and work herself back into form and match her best results at Wimbledon to date (third round 3 times) against hard-hitting German Jule Niemeier. 

Niemeier won her first match at a Grand Slam in the first round, defeating Wang Xiyu in straight sets. She was not broken all match, saving all three breakpoints she faced and now will face her first top-10 opponent of her career. She’s faced six top-40 opponents in her career and has yet to win any of them but her improvements in the past year or so can’t be ignored. She’s catching Kontaveit in vulnerable form at the moment and I think this match will be closer than most expect. Give me the German underdog and the game spread here.

Marko Nadin

Anett Kontaveit is one of the “dark-horse” candidates to win Wimbledon this year. The 26-year-old is currently third in the ATP rankings, one spot lower than her career-high. Kontaveit is 17-8 for the season and 1-0 on grass. Coming into Wimbledon, she lost the last two matches in Rome and Roland Garros, and after a month of break she showed up ready. The Estonian defeated Bernarda Pera in the opening round by 7-5, 6-1. Kontaveit’s best result in Wimbledon is the third round which she reached in three straight years from 2017 to 2019.

Jule Niemeier is a 22 year old who has just made it to the top 100. She is currently at no. 97 in the WTA rankings. The German is 27-13 for the season and 2-2 on grass. She is coming off a 6-1, 6-4 win in the opening round against Xiju Wang and has found her way to the second round of Wimbledon for the first time in her career. 

Jack Hartman

Anett Kontaveit has enjoyed a remarkable 12 months which has seen the Estonian rise from a solid top twenty player to three in the world. She enjoyed a stunning end to 2021 but has found 2022 a whole lot tougher. The Estonian entered this year’s Championship short of wins and her win over Bernarda Pera in the first round was her first win since April. Due to her lack of form, Kontaveit entered this tournament under the radar, and if she is able to pick up a few wins and get some confidence under her belt, she has the game for a deep run.

Julie Niemier entered this year’s tournament on a good run of form having won a challenger in May. Grass isn’t a strong surface for the German who is much more at home on the clay. Ranked just inside the top 100, wins at the very highest level are rare for the German and she will have been delighted with her straight set victory over China’s Xiy Wang in Round 1. This is a severe step up in class for the German and on a quick surface there has to be a concern she will be overpowered in this match up. Kontaveit should have too much game for her opponent and I’m backing her to advance in straight sets.

Lauren Davis vs Amanda Anisimova (20)

An all-American matchup in the second round will see Lauren Davis face off against Amanda Anisimova, and we are guaranteed to see an American in the third round. Davis took on her compatriot in the first round, Brengle, and won in straight sets. While Anisimova beat Yuan in straight sets in the first round.

Jeffery Thomas

This matchup of two American women is set for Thursday in the second round of Wimbledon and should be a fun one. Amanda Anisimova continued her great form this season as one of the most dangerous on tour by blasting past Yue Yhan in the first round. She hit 29 winners and only dropped seven games in the match that lasted just over an hour. She’s now trying to win this match and reach the third round for the first time here at Wimbledon in her young career. To do so she’ll have to take out compatriot Lauren Davis who had an All-American matchup in her first round too. 

Davis took out Madison Brengle in straight sets and is now just one win away from also matching her best showing at Wimbledon. I don’t see that happening for her here though, as like I mentioned earlier, Anisimova has been one of the best players on tour all season and will be a tough out for anyone. These two have never met but with Davis sitting outside the top 100, Amanda will see this as the perfect opportunity to get into the third round here of a wide open draw on the women’s side under Iga Swiatek. Her pure power and elite serve will push her to victory in this matchup without dropping a set.

Marko Nadin

Lauren Davis is past her best as she has fallen to no. 102 spot in the WTA rankings with her career-best being at no. 26. The 28-year-old is 15-13 for the season including 3-3 on grass. She is coming off a 6-2, 7-5 win over Madison Brengle in the opening round. Davis has reached the third round in Wimbledon twice, in 2014 and 2018, which are her best results in London. Davis is one of the shortest players on tour which will definitely cause her problems against Anisimova.

Amanda Anisimova is one of the best rising stars on the WTA tour. She is currently ranked at no. 25, four spots lower than her career-high. Anisimova is 26-10 for the season and 3-1 on grass. In the opening round of Wimbledon, the 20-year-old defeated Yue Yuan by 6-3, 6-4. Anisimova lost in the opening round last year and made it to the second round in 2019 which was her debut in Wimbledon.

Jack Hartman

Amanda Anisimova has made it through to the second round at Wimbledon for just the second time in her career. The young American has enjoyed a decent time of things in this year’s Grand Slams, having reached the fourth round in both Australia and Paris. Against fellow American Lauren Davis, she will start as the overwhelming favorite to reach the 3rd round for the first time in her career. Anisimova has been able to add greater levels of consistency to the power she already had and looks destined for bigger and greater things. Anisimova’s game was seen to its full effect in her first round win over Yue Yuan, winning in relatively easy fashion.

Lauren Davis has never faced off against her young opponent before and will have her work cut out if she is to advance to the 3rd round at Wimbledon for the 3rd time in her career. It’s been a scratchy season for Davis who has struggled to string consecutive wins together across the entire season. The key will be whether Davis can get her opponent to leak mistakes, if she does the shock could be on. I have my doubts and think this is a contest Anisimova could win fairly comfortably.

Coco Gauff (11) vs Mihaela Buzărnescu

The 11th seed, Coco Gauff, is into the second round at The Championships, and she will go toe-to-toe with Romanian, Mihaela Buzărnescu. Gauff looked a tad nervous in her first round appearance, dropping the first set, but then stormed home, winning the next two sets to advance to the next round. Buzărnescu made quick work of her German opponent, Schunk, in the first round, winning in straight sets.

Jeffery Thomas

Young superstar Coco Gauff survived a true scare in the first round against Elena Gabriela Ruse but stormed back from a set down to advance to this stage. It was a true test of the 18-year-old’s maturity and those are the types of wins you have to get to make a deep run at a Grand Slam. She has a lot of experience on the big stage at Grand Slams, most recently the Final at this year’s French Open, so she’ll never be one to shy away from the moment. 

Her Romanian opponent is over 15 years her senior but has never been past the fourth round of a major. Her best result at Wimbledon was the third round back in 2018, but her chances of getting back there are slim this year. Coco is superior in just about every category in this match, and her performance and fitness will be the determining factor. I like Coco to get past those early round jitters from the last match and dominate this one, advancing to the third round.

Marko Nadin

Coco Gauff is the best young player at the WTA tour as the 18-year-old is coming off a Final appearance at the French Open, where she lost to the world no. 1 Iga Swiatek. Gauff is currently 12th in the WTA rankings which is her career-high. She is 24-12 for the season and 4-1 on grass. She is coming off a 2-1 opening round win over Elena Ruse after losing the opening set. Despite her age, Gauff has made it to the Round of 16 twice before in Wimbledon and is expected to go deep this year as well.

Mihaela Buzarnescu is a 34-year-old veteran who is currently at no. 127 in the WTA rankings, with her career-high being at no. 20. The Romanian is 11-10 for the season and 3-1 on grass. She is coming off a 6-4, 6-2 win over Nastasja Schunk in the opening round. Buzarnescu’s best result in Wimbledon is the third round in 2018. 

Jack Hartman

Coco Gauff’s return to Wimbledon evokes special memories when as a fifteen year old she announced herself on the world’s stage by reaching the fourth round beating her idol Venus Williams on the way. It’s been clear ever since then that Gauff was always headed to the top of the game. Now ranked just outside the top ten, Gauff headed into this tournament fresh off the back of having reached her maiden Grand Slam Final at the French Open. My pick to make at least the semifinals, my prediction was almost up in smoke but the American displayed all of her battling qualities to eventually sneak past Gabriela Ruse in three sets. 

Gauff had to battle every step of the way and her tight victory could now set her up for another deep Grand Slam run. Concentration will be the key if Gauff is to win against her tricky Romanian opponent Mihaela Buzarnescu. The wily Romanian must be a nightmare to play with such huge variety in her game. Her game is well suited to the grass and she will try to make proceedings as difficult as possible for Gauff. Ultimately Gauff should have far too much power for her opponent and should advance easily. There isn’t a great deal of value to be had in backing Gauff outright or in the set markets so I will predict that Gauff wins the first set comfortably 6-2.

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*Odds and spreads correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.