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Australian John Millman will play the biggest match of his career at the first round of Wimbledon but faces what seems like an impossible task against French Open champion Rafael Nadal. Join The Roar for live scores from around 11:30pm (AEST).
The only question hanging over Nadal coming into the biggest grand slam of the year is fitness. He had an easy French Open campaign, not dropping a set the whole way through, but 2017 has been a big one and with age working against him, his fitness may be down.
That’s only backed up by the fact he is yet to play a game on grass, preferring to take three weeks off after Roland Garros – which was the correct decision no matter which way you look at it.
He will be hoping to work into Wimbledon, picking up form and fitness over the first few rounds, and he should be able to do so against the Australian.
Nadal is nowhere near the player he is on clay when taking to the grass courts at the All England Club, but he is still the world No.4 for a reason.
The 28-year-old Millman, who made it into The Championships with a protected ranking (he sits 138, but was brought into the 90’s) has been in sub-standard form during the lead-up on a surface he enjoys playing on.
With wavering form though, it’s impossible to see him finding a way over Nadal, who you must contest on every single point to get over. Millman has won nearly 60 per cent of his career matches on grass, but it’s not nearly enough if he wants to meet a potential.
The Australian has participated in three Challenger tournaments (in Surbiton, Nottingham and Ilkley) on the way to Wimbledon, winning the first round of each against Dennis Novikov, Hiroki Moriya and Jurgen Melzer.
He lost the second round of each though, going down to John Patrick-Smith, Dudi Sela and Marton Fucsovics, all players he would be expected to beat if in form.
The pair have never played before this meeting, and the winner will move onto the second round with a match against either Donald Young, or Denis Istomin, who knocked Novak Djokovic out of the Australian Open earlier this year.
Prediction
It’s impossible to overlook Nadal. As much as Millman will fight hard, he won’t win a set here.
Nadal in straight sets.
Be sure to join The Roar for live scores of the match from around 11:30pm (AEST) or at the completion of Elise Mertens versus Venus Williams on Court 1.