The first day of Wimbledon was worth the price of admission, and Day 2 is sure to be great with a loaded card on the back of a rainy Day 1. With so many matches come so many opportunities to cash tickets, and I've got my eyes on some big odds.
Let's take a look at the matchups and see where the value lies.
Sebastian Korda vs. Alex De Minaur
Start Time (approximately): 6:00 a.m. ET
Am I cheating, taking a match scheduled for Day 1 but pushed to Day 2? Probably, but it's worth it to mention that Alex De Minaur is the most overpriced man in tennis. Oddsmakers are continuing to feel themselves with these odds, going for a heat check and trying to get some more money out of the Aussie who's just gotten by this grass season.
The fact is, De Minaur still fails to possess one weapon that would scare you off fading him. He struggles to hold frequently, and his body of work lately is sorely unimpressive. He let Laslo Djere, a clay-court specialist, get a set off him, and won some matches against weak competition in uninspiring style.
Sebastian Korda, meanwhile, is a player very much in the ascendancy. He is capable of hitting a huge ball, but most importantly he's going to be mentally sharper than De Minaur. He's proven he can win matches without his best stuff and already has Grand Slam experience at such a young age with a nice run at Roland Garros last year.
Korda has beaten one top-15 player on the grass this year, and he will beat another on Tuesday. This will be one of his signature wins on the way to the top 30.
Pick: Korda +134 (at FanDuel)
Steve Johnson vs. Dennis Novak
Start Time (approximately): 9:55 a.m. ET
Johnson was lost in the middle of a horrible season earlier this year, which at his age felt more like the beginning of the end than just a bump on the road. Well, a strange run at the French Open turned all of that around, and now here he is on the grass, where he's felt much more at home over his career.
The veteran American has been able to advance to the Round of 16 at Wimbledon and the third round in two of his last three appearances. That's because his slice backhand and dependable serve work so well on the grass, making life difficult on the opponent with such little time to react.
Another big part of this pick is the fact that Dennis Novak has taken a giant step in the wrong direction this year. He wasn't even able to qualify at the two grass tournaments he entered this summer, and prior to that he was in such bad form that he dropped back down to the Challenger level, where he went a measly 3-2. He's lost more matches than he's won, and that should continue with the pesky American.
Pick: Johnson -125 (at DraftKings)
Sam Querrey vs. Pablo Carreno-Busta
Start Time (approximately): 11:25 a.m. ET
It's never a good strategy to take three American men, but I'm going to tempt fate here. If there's one you absolutely want to be on, it's Querrey, who plays his best tennis on the grass. The last time he was at Wimbledon, he beat Dominic Thiem and Andrey Rublev in 2019, when he went to the quarterfinals. In 2016, he beat Novak Djokovic on Center Court. He's been to the quarters twice and the semis once, and his huge serve is the reason why.
Pablo Carreno-Busta is good on the hardcourts and struggles pretty much everywhere else. His nothing serves should offer a better opportunity for the weak-returning Querrey to get into the match early, and once the American gets out in front, the weak-hearted Spaniard should crumble. It's always a good idea to back Querrey in London, and we can do so at a very reasonable price.
Pick: Querrey -111 (bet365)
