Wimbledon Predictions 2022: SportsTips’ Top Tennis Picks For Round of 16

The grass court action continues to heat up, and the team at SportsTips.com are previewing the best six games of the Round of 16. Read below to check out our picks for the three best men’s and three best women’s games for the Round of 16 at Wimbledon for 2022!

The Round of 16 at Wimbledon is upon us, and the women’s side of the draw was blown wide open in the previous round, when the world number one, Świątek, was dominated by unseeded Cornet in straight sets. Fifth seed, Sakkari, was also taken out in the third round, in straight sets, along with the eighth seed, American Pegula, again in straight sets. This leaves Jabeur, the third seed, as the highest seed left in the women’s side of the draw.

On the men’s side of the draw, we still have four Americans left, including unseeded Nakashima. The biggest “upset” of the round was when Kyrgios beat the fourth seed, Tsitsipas. Now this technically wasn’t an upset as Kyrgios actually started as the favorite, despite being the unseeded player.

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

Round of 16 Tennis Picks at Wimbledon: Men’s Draw

Novak Djokovic (1) vs Tim van Rijthoven

The number one seed, Novak Djokovic, is successfully into the Round of 16 here at The Championships, and his next opponent is unseeded Tim van Rijthoven. Djokovic has dropped one set so far on his road to the Round of 16, and that came in the first round against Kwon. His opponent, van Rijthoven, has put together a solid three matches so far, taking out the 15th and 22nd seed.

Jeffery Thomas

After a sluggish performance in the first round at Wimbledon, the three-time defending champion Novak Djokovic has really turned up his level in the following two matches. He faced little resistance against Thanasi Kokkinakis and then took out his compatriot Miomir Kecmanovic in straight sets last round, including a bagel in the first set. Djoker now carries a 24-match winning streak at Wimbledon, and a 35-match winning streak on matches played at center court which is where he will once again be on Sunday. His opponent for that match will be the Cinderella story Tim van Rijthoven. Tim won his first ATP main draw match a few weeks ago in his home tournament in Hertogenbosch, and went on to win the title that week as well. 

He was a giant slayer in that tournament, taking out Taylor Fritz, Felix Auger-Aliassime, and Daniil Medvedev who are in the top 15. He’s carried that momentum over to Wimbledon and now finds himself in the Round of 16 facing off with a true legend of the sport. His career 4-0 record against top 20 players will surely get its first blemish in this one and it’s been a great run, but this is Novak’s tournament to lose and I don’t see him having much trouble here. He will continuously pick on Tim’s one hand backhand and play good enough defense to neutralize that big serve of his.

Marko Nadin

Novak Djokovic has had an easy start of Wimbledon, hoping to win his 7th title in the All England’s Club. The Serbian is coming off a 6-0, 6-3, 6-4 win in the third round against the fellow Serbian, Miomir Kecmanovic. In the first two rounds, the world no. 3 defeated Thanasi Kokkinakis in straight sets in the second round and Kwon Soon-woo in the first round by 3 sets to 1. Djokovic is 20-5 this season and 4-0 on grass. He has won only one title in 2022 at the ATP Masters tournament in Rome.

Tim van Rijthoven has found his way to the Round of 16 in Wimbledon in his first appearance at the All England’s Club. The Dutch is ranked at no. 104 which is his career-high ranking. Van Rijthoven lost only one set in the first three rounds of the tournament. In the opening round he defeated Federico Delbonis in straight sets, in the second he dropped a set against Rilley Opelka and in the third round he went past Nikoloz Basilashvili in three sets. The 25-year-old is 30-13 in the season and 8-1 on grass.

Jack Hartman

At the start of the tournament few would have predicted this match up as Novak Djokovic takes on Dutchman Tim Van Rijthoven. Even to most officiano’s van Rijthoven isn’t a name we have heard too much of. Competing mostly at Challenger level, van Rijthoven has burst onto the scene following a stunning grass court season that has not only seen him lift his home title in Hertogenbosch, but has also seen him beat the likes of Daniil Medvedev, Felix-Auger Aliassime and Taylor Fritz. 

Van Rijthoven’s game is clearly in a great place and he will be in a solid position ahead of this huge test against Djokovic. Despite playing some of the very best stuff of his career, today’s match up is a different beast for van Rijthoven. Djokovic sent out an ominous warning in the previous round as he dispatched his fellow Serb Miomir Kecmanovic in three brutal sets, losing just seven games in the process. Since losing a set to Soon-woo Kwon, Djokovic has been in scintillating form and should have more than enough in this match 

Botic van de Zandschulp (21) vs Rafael Nadal (2)

The 21st seed, Botic van de Zandschulp, is into the final 16 at Wimbledon and will face his toughest opponent to date, taking on the second seed, Rafael Nadal. Van de Zandschulp has dropped two sets so far in the Grand Slam, dropping one set to Ruusuvuori and another to Gasquet. The Spaniard got off to a steady start, dropping one set in his first two matches at Wimbledon, but won in straight sets in Round 3.

Jeffery Thomas

Rafael Nadal is finally starting to get his feet under him after three years of not playing on grass and not looking his best in the first two rounds. He dropped a set to Francisco Cerundolo and Ricardas Berankis before taking care of the dangerous Italian Lorenzo Sonego in the third round in straight sets. He now is set to face off against the big Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp in the Round of 16 here at Wimbledon after facing each other at the French Open last month. 

Botic has a career-high ranking of 26 and has gotten to this point of the tournament only dropping two sets. Rafa navigated his way to a straight sets win at Roland Garros but these conditions suit the Dutchman much better and I’m expecting a closer contest. It is still Nadal though, and his supreme talent and determination will get him this match surely, I just don’t think he can do it without dropping a set this time around. 

Marko Nadin

Rafael Nadal is still on his way to winning his third Grand Slam tournament this season. He has played pretty well in the first three rounds in Wimbledon even though he lost a set in each of the first two rounds. The Spaniard started with a 3-1 win over Francisco Cerundolo, then defeated Ricardas Berankis with the same score before beating Lorenzo Sonego in the third round in straight sets. The world no. 4 is 34-4 in 2022 and 4-1 on grass. He has defeated Botic van de Zandschulp at the French Open this year by 6-3, 6-2, 6-4.

Botic Van De Zandschulp is currently ranked at no. 25 which is his career-high. He is 25-16 for the season and 6-3 on grass. The Dutch also lost only two sets on his way to the Round of 16 which is his best result in Wimbledon so far in his career. In the opening round, the 26-year-old defeated Feliciano Lopez in straight sets. Then, van de Zandschulp went past Emil Ruusuvuori and Richard Gasquet winning by 3-1 in each of these matches.

Jack Hartman

A rerun of the last 16 at the French Open awaits as Botic van de Zandschulp takes on Rafa Nadal. In Paris, Nadal was too strong for the Dutchman and there is every chance that we will have a similar outcome once again. Van de Zandschulp has enjoyed a remarkable rise up the rankings and now finds himself at 25 in the world. As consistent as they come, the Dutchman just doesn’t have the power to trouble the great Spaniard here. 

Like in Paris, Nadal will have to be at his best if he is to emerge victorious in this matchup. The Spaniard, who is playing on grass for the first time since 2019, remains on course to take on Djokovic in this year’s final and his quest for the calendar Grand Slam is still very much alive. Nadal stepped his game up in the previous round against Lorenzo Sonego winning in three relatively easy sets. Nadal’s troublesome foot injury seems under control and just like in Paris, I am expecting another straight sets victory for Nadal here.

Jason Kubler vs Taylor Fritz (11)

Unseeded Australian, Jason Kubler, will take on our top seeded American left in the men’s side of the draw, Taylor Fritz. Kubler had to make it through the qualifiers, and in the first two rounds, he didn’t even drop a set, but it was a different story in the third round, with that match going the distance against American, Sock. Fritz has been virtually perfect throughout Wimbledon so far, and he is yet to drop a set.

Jeffery Thomas

It’s another awesome matchup here at Wimbledon as Taylor Fritz and Jason Kubler are set to take on each other in the Round of 16 on Monday. Fritz is the American #1 and has been playing like it the past couple weeks, as he won a title in Eastbourne last week leading into Wimbledon. He’s carried that momentum over into three consecutive straight sets victories and he’s looking like a real sleeper to win the whole thing. His powerful serve and punishing forehand make him a true threat, and he’ll hope to be on his top game again against Jason Kubler. 

Kubler is a surprise to be this far but the guy has been playing some great tennis lately. He’s mainly a Challenger level guy but he’s also been putting together some great performances in the main draw as well. If you take out a match he had to retire in Orlando in the middle of June, he’s won his last 15 completed matches with his last loss coming at the hands of Cam Norrie at Roland Garros. Norrie is in the same tier as Fritz and that’s just not a level that Kubler can compete with right now, so another straight sets loss here is what I’m expecting, especially given the form Taylor is in right now.

Marko Nadin

Taylor Fritz has promoted himself as a dark-horse candidate to win Wimbledon this year. The American is playing well in the first three rounds without losing a set in the matches against Lorenzo Musseti, Alastair Gray and Alex Molcan. Fritz is currently 14th in the ATP rankings, one spot lower than his career-high. The American is 28-10 for the season and 7-2 on grass. This season he won the tournaments in Eastbourne and Indian Wells. This is the first time he has made it to the Round of 16 in Wimbledon, where he will face Jason Kubler who he defeated at the US Open in 2018.

Jason Kubler has made it to the main tournament in Wimbledon for the second time in his career and he is already in the Round of 16. The Australian is currently at no. 99 in the ATP rankings with his best ranking being at no. 91. He has been very active this season and has a record of 38-10 with 6-0 on grass. Kubler found his way to the Round of 16 by playing 6 matches, since he went through the qualifiers. In the main draw, he defeated Jack Sock, Dennis Novak and Daniel Evans.

Jack Hartman

Before the tournament I flagged that it was crazy that Taylor Fritz hadn’t reached this stage of Wimbledon before. Everything would suggest that the American’s style with his big game should be perfectly suited to the grass and so far everything seems to be falling into place. Fritz has been nothing short of impressive so far in the tournament, winning his three matches in straight sets and he has a great chance of reaching his first ever Wimbledon Quarterfinal.

Jason Kubler is another player who wouldn’t have expected to get this far. At 99 in the world, he has done exceptionally well to beat some real grass court specialists in the form of Dan Evans and Jack Sock. Producing some of the best tennis of his career, Kubler will once again have to produce something special to advance past Fritz here. It’s been a dream tournament for Kubler so far, but it will all come to an end here as Fritz should advance in straight sets once again. 

Round of 16 Tennis Picks at Wimbledon: Women’s Draw

Elise Mertens (24) vs Ons Jabeur (3)

Belgian Elise Mertens will face her toughest test so far at The Championships when she takes on the top seed left on the women’s side of the draw, Ons Jabeur. Mertens was the beneficiary of a walkover late into her first round match, she was pushed the distance in the second round, and in the third round, she won in straight sets against the 15th seed, Kerber. Jabeur has been absolutely clinical so far at Wimbledon, winning all three of her matches in straight sets, and in fact, she has only dropped a total of 13 games.

Jeffery Thomas

Ons Jabeur has made it through to the Round of 16 here at Wimbledon after breezing past Diane Parry 6-2, 6-3 in the third round. She has yet to drop a set and has only lost a total of 13 games so far. She’s establishing herself as one of the best grass counters on the tour as she carries an 8-0 record this year and an 18-2 record overall in the past two seasons on the surface. Her biggest test yet awaits her on Sunday when she goes up against Elise Mertens of Belgium. 

Mertens took out former Wimbledon champion Angelique Kerber in straight sets in the previous round. She’s feeling fortunate to even be here right now as she faced a couple match points in the second round, but it’s all about surviving and advancing, which she has done. Jabeur comes in as a heavy favorite despite losing this matchup at last year’s US Open in straight sets. However, on grass she gets a significant boost and I see her getting through this match without much resistance.

Marko Nadin

After Iga Swiatek got eliminated from the tournament, Ons Jabeur comes up as the main favorite to win Wimbledon this year. The world no. 3 has cruised through the first three rounds of the tournament defeating Mirjam Bjorklund, Katarzyna Kawa and Diane Parry. Jabeur is 33-9 for the season and 9-0 on grass. She has won two tournaments so far in the season in Berlin on grass and in Madrid on clay.

Elise Mertens is the underdog in the match against Jabeur but she has won in their only match so far. That happened last year at the US Open where the Belgian won 6-3, 7-5. Mertens had a tough road on her way to the Round of 16, losing a set in the first two rounds against Maria Camila Osorio Serrano and Panna Udvardy before winning 6-4, 7-5 against the former no. 1 Angelique Kerber. Mertens played in the Round of 16 at Wimbledon in 2019 where she lost to Barbora Strycova.

Jack Hartman

This year’s women’s draw just got interesting. After going an astonishing 37 matches unbeaten, it all came to an end for Iga Swiatek who lost to Alize Cornet. With Swiatek losing, the draw has become wide open. Looking to take advantage will be Ons Jabeur. Jabeur finds herself in unfamiliar territory and is the top seed left in the draw. Jabeur is looking to become the first African player to ever win a singles Grand Slam title and if her previous performance is anything to go by she is showing no signs of nerves. Against Diane Parry, Jabeur was always comfortable and wowed the center court with her variety and skill. Clearly comfortable on the grass following her warm up win in the Berlin event, Jabeur will be fancying her chances of advancing to her first ever Wimbledon Quarterfinal.

Standing in the Tunisian’s way is Elise Mertens. Formerly a fixture inside the top 20, Mertens has enjoyed a tough season which has seen her fall all the way down to 31 in the rankings. Mertens had struggled in her warm up events prior to this year’s Championship, so both her and her team will be delighted by her progress at this year’s tournament. The straight set victory by Mertens over former champion Ange Kerber will give her so much confidence and she will be confident of reaching her first ever Wimbledon Quarterfinal. A former doubles winner at Wimbledon, Mertens revels on the grass and could take advantage of any nerves that Jabeur might have. Jabeur should have enough to win but it won’t be easy.

Paula Badosa (4) vs Simona Halep (16)

Paula Badosa has progressed through to the Round of 16, and standing in her way of a spot in the Quarterfinals is Simona Halep. Badosa is yet to drop a set in her campaign, but her Round 3 match was very close, with the fourth seed winning 7-5, 7-6(4). Romanian Halep is also yet to drop a set so far at Wimbledon. 

Jeffery Thomas

Paula Badosa got her biggest grass win to date on Saturday when she took out former Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova in straight sets. Now she has to do the same thing again on Monday when she takes on another former Wimbledon champion in Simona Halep. Halep has breezed her way to the Round of 16 and looks good as ever, not dropping a set yet. Interestingly enough, Badosa hasn’t dropped a set yet either after playing only one lead-up match on grass in which she lost in straight sets. 

She saved her best for the biggest tournament of the year though and in the win over Kvitova she was really great on defense, and just let Petra beat herself with errors but that game plan will not work against Halep. These two met earlier this season on clay in Madrid with Simona getting the win in 2 sets, 6-3, 6-1. This time around will not be as easy but I do have Halep winning as she’s just the better player on grass and her experience at this level is going to be too much. 

Marko Nadin

Former world no. 1 Simona Halep is hoping to repeat the 2019 Wimbledon tournament when she ended up lifting the trophy. The Romanian has been fantastic in the first three rounds defeating Karolina Muchova, Kirsten Flipkens and Magdalena Frech in straight sets. Halep is currently ranked at no. 18 and has a 29-8 record for the year including 9-1 on grass. She won one tournament so far in the season, in January in Melbourne. She faced Paula Badosa this year at the French Open winning easily by 6-3, 6-1.

Paula Badosa was the best newcomer last season in the WTA and has reached a contender status in every tournament she plays. The Spaniard is currently ranked 4th in the WTA rankings with her best result being second place. Badosa is 27-12 this season and 3-1 on grass. She has also made it this far without dropping a set in the first three rounds against Louisa Chirico, Irina Maria Bara and the former Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova.

Jack Hartman

Due to the exploits of Swiatek, Badosa flew massively under the radar entering this year’s Championships. A class player, there were concerns over a troublesome injury that forced her to withdraw in the French Open, but so far she seems fit and fully firing. Badosa has a huge game and her forehand is arguably the very best in the game. This matchup against Halep is intriguing in many ways. The two have only faced off against each other once which Halep won in straight sets, but that did come on clay, on the quicker surface Badosa will be confident of evening up the head to head. Halep is making her first appearance at Wimbledon since she won the title back in 2019 and has so far passed every hurdle with ease. 

Despite not being the biggest of hitters, there is clearly something about the grass that Halep loves and her counter punching style seems perfectly suited to the quicker surface. This match will belong on Badosa’s racquet and all comes down to her consistency. Badosa will dominate the rallies with her power but will need to ensure she can keep the ball in play enough. For Halep she will try to draw her opponent into errors and if they come she will have a great chance of reaching the Quarterfinals for the fifth time in her career. Badosa has the game to win Slams in her career and I think she could go all the way here. This could be a great match but I think the Spaniard comes out on top.

Amanda Anisimova (20) vs Harmony Tan

The only American left in the women’s side of the draw, Amanda Anisimova, will face off against unseeded Harmony Tan in the Round of 16. Anisimova’s first round was won in straight sets, and in her second and third round matches, she played two Americans and was pushed the distance in both. Tan took out Williams in the first round, in an absolute thriller, winning that match in a third set tie break, but since then it has been smooth sailing for the Frenchwoman, winning her next two matches in straight sets. 

Jeffery Thomas

Both Harmony Tan and Amanda Anisimova have taken out fan favorites in their path to the Round of 16 and now will meet up for the first time in three years. Tan’s Cinderella run started on center court where she beat former World number one and 7-time Wimbledon champion Serena Williams in a deciding set tiebreak. From there she took out two more heavy favorites, Sara Sorribes Tormo and Katie Boulter, in straight sets. Now she runs up against another heavy favorite in the American Amanda Anisimova. Anisimova took out her compatriot Coco Gauff, having to come back from a set down on Saturday to move on to this point. 

It was actually the second time in three matches Amanda has had to make a comeback, but she has shown great fight after some slow starts. A slow start in this matchup though could be disastrous as Harmony Tan’s confidence is just growing by the day and now with Iga Swiatek out of the picture she is a real threat to win it all. Her 6-1, 6-1 drubbing of Katie Boulter in the third round was one of the most impressive performances of the tournament so far and if she plays anything near that level she will win this match. I’m rolling with the underdog here to continue her run as I feel her variety of slices and drop shots will be too much for Anisimova who isn’t the best athlete.

Marko Nadin

The whole world knew the name Harmony Tan after she defeated Serena Williams in the opening round of Wimbledon. The Frenchwoman came back after being 0-4 down in the decisive tie-break and didn’t stop there as she went on to defeat Sara Sorribes Tormo and Katie Boulter, and found her way to the Round of 16 for the first time in her career in any Grand Slam. Tan is currently 115th in the WTA rankings with her career-best being at no. 90. She is 16-16 for the season and 6-2 on grass.

Amanda Anisimova is one of the favorites left in the draw to win this year’s Wimbledon. She is currently at no. 25 in the WTA rankings with her career-best being four spots higher. The American is 28-10 for the season and 5-1 on grass. She got a huge victory in the third round against the French Open finalist Coco Gauff, winning in three sets just like she did in the previous round against Lauren Davis. In the opening round, Anisimova won 2-0 against Yue Yuan. Anisimova has won the only previous match against Tan, 6-3, 6-1 at the 2019 French Open.

Jack Hartman

What a tournament it’s been for Harmony Tan! The Frenchwoman produced the match of her life to beat seven time champion Serena Williams in a third set tiebreak in the first round. I actually picked Tan to win that contest, but will be honest, I didn’t expect her to advance much further! Since her upset of Williams, Tan has been in great form beating Sara Sorribes Tormo in three sets and then Katie Boulter in straight sets. Her opponents seem to struggle with the Frenchwoman’s variety and general slow pace of shot. Tan has caused her opponents all sorts of problems but her dream run will come to an end here.

Amanda Anisimova is looking to reach her first ever Grand Slam Quarterfinal and arrives at this matchup against Tan full of confidence after dispatching Coco Gauff in three sets. The win against her American compatriot was full of class and power, and was a clear example of how good Anisimova is. The only concern for Anisimova is between the ears. At times in matches she can become frustrated and lose concentration. Tan’s style can easily get into Anisimova’s head, and she will need to remain calm and patient in the points. If she can, she should advance comfortably to the quarterfinals.

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