Wimbledon 2022: Predicting Men’s Quarterfinal Winners
The final matchup of the Round of 16 section of the 2022 men’s Wimbledon tournament is officially over, as Rafael Nadal of Spain defeated Botic van de Zandschulp of the Netherlands in straight sets earlier today. Next is the quarterfinals, which will be underway beginning July 5th. Of the eight players who have made it this far, we see a large percentage of the group from the next generation of tennis pros. Regarding veteran players, Novak Djokovic and Nadal are the most experienced players in the final eight. Below, I explain my predictions for who I think is going to advance to the semi-finals of this year’s Wimbledon tournament.
N. Djokovic vs J. Sinner
In the first matchup, we have a veteran taking on a young, but a talented newcomer. When looking at this matchup, it’s very hard to put the odds against Novak Djokovic. Obviously, the advantage of immense experience for Novak forces me to put him over Jannik for this matchup. Though, I wouldn’t be confident in saying that this match will be a breeze for Novak. Throughout this Wimbledon tournament, Jannik has played seriously tough competition, and his game has truly been spectacular for his age and experience. Notably, he defeated Wawrinka, Isner, and most recently Alcaraz to put him through to the quarters. The aggressive baseliner may snag a set from Djokovic, but for this year’s Wimbledon, I don’t see him beating Djokovic, especially due to Novak’s lights-out gameplay recently. However, after watching Jannik’s game this Wimbledon, he is definitely a name to look out for in the future.
Djokovic: 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 6-2
D. Goffin vs C. Norrie
This matchup is definitely balanced, and in my opinion, the hardest to call. Both players have had a relatively easy draw, but just by watching gameplay, I have to pick Cameron Norrie for this matchup. Although I haven’t seen much of Norrie, I will say that his especially loopy forehand did seem to throw off his past opponents at this year’s Wimbledon. In addition, Norrie will be the strong fan favorite on the court come July 5th, because of his UK representation. Goffin on the other hand, will not have much support in the stands, and from what I’ve seen, some of his gameplay lacks consistency. This could be due to an ankle injury he suffered last year. Although this one is somewhat of a toss-up, I’ll take Norrie for the match.
Norrie: 4-6, 6-2, 6-4, 3-6, 7-5
T. Fritz vs R. Nadal
This is a matchup that doesn’t seem to be too debatable. Rafael Nadal has been far too dominant this year, including so far at Wimbledon, to bet against him. Fritz, with his long stature, and heavy hitting playstyle won’t let the match be an easy win for Nadal, but due to the latter’s supreme year so far, I am taking Nadal for this matchup. A Fritz fan may bring up 2022 Indian Wells, where Fritz did defeat Nadal in two sets, but after the tournament was over, Nadal revealed that he had been playing with a broken rib. Although Nadal is the heavy favorite, I am excited to see whether Fritz can maintain his high level of play in the quarters.
Nadal: 6-3, 6-3, 7-5
C. Garin vs N. Kyrgios
So far, every match with Kyrgios on one side of the court has been very enjoyable, and I expect this one to be no different. Although, I don’t expect the score to be close for this one. I think Kyrgios can easily handle Garin, a relatively unexperienced player. Garin did receive an easier draw, but his game has surely been pretty decent so far this tournament. However, Kyrgios has simply been playing lights out, and I see no reason for this to change against Carin. Most notably, his performance against Tsitsipas especially stuck out to me, mainly because of the psychological tricks he played, but hey, it worked. I don’t see much scope for Garin winning this one, so I will take Kyrgios to advance to the semis.
Kyrgios: 6-3, 6-2, 6-3
Closing Thoughts
Although this year’s quarterfinals aren’t filled with superstar names, I’m excited to see how the youngsters can take advantage of the situation and prove their game. Come July 6, we’ll be able to see how these predictions panned out, but regardless, it should be an exciting couple of days leading up to the semis of the 2022 Wimbledon.
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