Wimbledon 2023 Men’s Singles Quarter Finals Preview
With help from Craig O’Shannessy from Brain game tennis, Tennis head builds up to the four Wimbledon men’s singles quarter-final matches, identifying key match places and potential outcomes
And then there were eight…
The men’s quarter-finals are played at Wimbledon and the sharp end of the tournament has attracted some familiar faces and fresh blood.
Let’s take a quick look at the match-ups and identify what each player does well to reach the quarterfinals.
Carlos Alcaraz vs Holger Rune
Both players are 20 years old and are the present and future of our sport. This is the marquee quarter-final, with these two players presenting the most challenging test for seven-time champion Novak Djokovic in a potential blockbuster final.
Breaking Alcaraz becomes Rune’s most challenging task. Alcaraz has saved 80% (16/20) of the break points he has faced, which is the best of the quarter-finalists (run 74%). Alcaraz also leads the quarterfinalists with return points won against first serves at 36% (122/337).
The pressure gauge will always be high in Rune’s service game, which will take its toll mentally after a few hours of play.
Prediction: Alcaraz in four sets
Daniil Medvedev vs. Christopher Eubanks
This is an excellent draw for Eubanks as he is the biggest server back in the tournament and Medvedev is the deepest to return. It’s advantage Eubanks on grass. The 27-year-old American loves to serve and volley (won 50/81) and press the net (won 124/194). Grass passing shots become extra difficult the further back you stand, so let’s see if Medvedev adjusts his court position to counter his 6’7″ opponent.
Expect Eubanks to suffocate the net in this matchup and do everything to take advantage of Medvedev’s deep court position. Medvedev will want to get into baseline exchanges where he has won 52% for the tournament – far better than Eubanks with 44% points won.
Eubanks has already selected two Top 15 players in Stefanos Tsitsipas and Cameron Norrie. He is also a significant threat to attack the second serve. Eubanks has 21 return winners this year leading into the tournament. I expect Eubanks to make it to the semifinals with another upset here.
Prediction: Eubanks in five sets
Jannik Sinner vs Roman Safullin
Who on earth is Roman Safullin? The 25-year-old Russian is ranked 92 in the world and has won only two Grand Slam matches in his career. What is he doing so well at SW19 this year?
He comes to the net and plays brilliant grass court tennis. Safiullin is the only player at Wimbledon this year to hit the net more than 200 times, with 218. He has won a very healthy 73% (159/218) of those points. He has also won 76% (32/42) of his serve and volley points.
The eighth-seeded Sinner should prove to be too decisive from the ground in this match. Sinner has 53 forehand winners and 23 backhand winners to the quarters and has won a staggering 67% (96/144) of his second serve points. Safiullin has put 77% of his returns into play, which is the best of the quarter-finalists. He will need this return pressure to have any hope of troubling Sinner.
Prediction: Sins in three sets
Andrey Rublev vs. Novak Djokovic
This is a bridge too far for Rublev. Djokovic is the overwhelming favorite to win the tournament and Rublev has nothing special to upset him. Djokovic has dropped serve just twice from 69 service games, the best of the quarter-finalists. Rublev has been broken seven times.
Rublev hits with serious power from both wings (especially the forehand), but his groundstrokes will end up sitting right in Djokovic’s hitting zone, where that power will be used straight back against him. Djokovic has won 55% of his baseline points so far. Rublev is at 51%. Rublev will be lucky to win 40% of his base points in this match.
Prediction: Djokovic in three sets
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Craig O’Shannessy is the creator of Brain game tennis. For 20 years he has been involved in tennis coaching players such as Kevin Anderson and even Dustin Brown when he famously beat Rafa Nadal at Wimbledon. More recently, Craig has worked as a match analyst at Wimbledon and for the ATP Tour. He has also used the unique insights of his match analysis software dartfish to guide players such as Novak Djokovic with analysis of opponents and performances.
Visit BrainGameTennis.com to read the latest and best selling course ‘Getting tight’ where Craig teams up with Jeff Greenwald to combine their specific skill sets to help you with the universal problem that all players struggle with in matches.
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