There will be 15 Australians in the Wimbledon main draw for the first time since 2015, after a heroic week at Roehampton saw six Aussies qualify for the main draw at The All England Club.
It marked the first time since 1995 that six Australians have qualified for Wimbledon and the first time since 1983 that four Australian women qualified for the main draw.
There will be nine Aussie men in action. Let's take a look at the matchups, starting with Thanasi Kokkinakis.
Thanasi Kokkinakis (AUS) vs Kamil Majchrzak (POL)
Thanasi Kokkinakis will return to the All England Club for the first time since 2017 for his third Wimbledon main draw appearance when he comes up against Poland’s Kamil Majchrzak in the first round.
It will be the pair's second meeting after they faced off in Wimbledon qualifying at Roehampton back in 2018. Kokkinakis won that battle in straight sets.
Both players will be aiming to claim their maiden Wimbledon main draw win, and I like Kokkinakis’ chances in this matchup.
A win for Kokkinakis will likely see him come up against the defending champion and No. 1 seed Novak Djokovic in the second round.
John Millman (AUS) vs [25] Miomir Kecmanovic (SRB)
Aussie John Millman will have his work cut out for him when he comes up against No. 25 seed Miomir Kecmanovic in the first round of Wimbledon.
The pair have met three times, with the Serb leading their head-to-head record 2-1. Their most recent meeting came in Belgrade earlier this year, where Kecmanovic won in straight sets.
Millman has reached the third round of Wimbledon twice, in 2016 and in 2019, whilst Kecmanovic has never advanced past the second round. However, the 22-year-old Serb has enjoyed a career-best year on tour so far, having reached the round of 16 at the Australian Open to go with six tour-level quarterfinals, including two at Masters level.
This has the potential to be a tight matchup, with the surface certainly favouring Millman.
James Duckworth (AUS) vs Andy Murray (GBR)
James Duckworth will face one of the toughest tasks, coming up against two-time Wimbledon Champion Andy Murray, as well as the British crowd on Centre Court on Monday.
Duckworth has missed the majority of the year after undergoing hip surgery in February, but reached the third round at Wimbledon last year and if he can rediscover the form that saw him enter the top 50 at the back end of last year, he’s certainly a chance in this match.
Murray leads their head-to-head 2-0, and it would require a top-notch performance from the Duck to win this one.
[Q] Max Purcell (AUS) vs Adrian Mannarino (FRA)
Australian qualifier Max Purcell will make his Wimbledon main draw debut, coming up against Frenchman Adrian Mannarino in what will be their first meeting.
Purcell navigated his way through a difficult qualifying field to book a main draw berth at The All England Club and will rate his chances against the French veteran in the first round, with grass being a surface that seriously suits his game.
Whilst Purcell’s dynamic and unique brand suits the grass, he’ll need to be at his best if he’s going to challenge Mannarino. The 33-year-old has reached the round of 16 at Wimbledon on three occasions and nearly claimed a first round scalp against Roger Federer last year before he was forced to retire with injury at two-sets-all.
[19] Alex de Minaur (AUS) vs Hugo Dellien (BOL)
No. 19 seed Alex de Minaur couldn’t have asked for a much more winnable first round matchup, meaning absolutely no disrespect to Hugo Dellien.
The Bolivian has a unique game that could potentially do some damage, but with just three major main draw wins under his belt and none coming at Wimbledon, it will be an uphill battle if he is going to challenge the No. 1 ranked Aussie.
The pair have met once, back in 2019 where de Minaur won in straight sets.
De Minaur will be hoping to better his best run at Wimbledon which came in 2018 when he reached the third round.
Nick Kyrgios (AUS) vs [WC] Paul Jubb (GBR)
Nick Kyrgios is the one name that no one wanted to draw in the first round, especially considering the fact that he is unseeded, and could’ve posed a potentially enormous threat to a seed in the first round had they drawn the explosive Aussie.
Kyrgios is in tremendous form and will look to continue that when he comes up against the World No. 219 in the first round.
Jubb will be looking for his first win at a major in just his second main draw appearance. Providing he’s fit and firing, Kyrgios shouldn’t have many issues navigating his way into the second round.
Jordan Thompson (AUS) vs Roberto Carballes Baena (ESP)
Jordan Thompson and Roberto Carballes Baena will meet for the first time in the opening round of Wimbledon.
Thompson will be looking to kick start his campaign with a strong performance after reaching the third round at The All England Club last year, claiming massive wins over Casper Ruud and Kei Nishikori.
This matchup is an opportunity for Thompson to do just that, coming up against the clay-court specialist, who has competed in the last three Wimbledon main draws, but has not yet claimed a win at The All England Club, and has claimed just one tour-level win on grass, against a player ranked outside the top 200.
[Q] Jason Kubler (AUS) vs Daniel Evans (GBR)
Australian qualifier Jason Kubler is in tremendous form, and will present as a major threat for No. 28 seed Daniel Evans in the first round.
Kubler has endured a meteoric rise up the ranks in 2022, and his form of late has been telling in his rise, qualifying for Roland Garros and now Wimbledon.
However, if the Aussie is going to take another major step forward, he will need to be at his absolute best to topple Evans, who has reached the third round of Wimbledon on three separate occasions.
The pair met once back in 2018 in a Challenger final, where Evans won in a third-set tiebreaker.
Alexei Popyrin (AUS) vs Hugo Gaston (FRA)
Hugo Gaston is becoming acclimatised to facing Aussies in slams, having come up against Chris O’Connell in the first round of the Australian Open, Alex de Minaur in the first round of the French Open, and now Alexei Popyrin in the opening round of Wimbledon.
The feisty Frenchman has enjoyed a breakout year on the tour but will have his work cut out for him against Popyrin, whose big-hitting game suits the grass.
Gaston will be making his Wimbledon main draw debut, whilst Popyrin will be hoping to improve his best run at Wimbledon which saw him make the second round in 2019.
Popyrin, who oozes x-factor will like his chances in this matchup if his serve is on.
Now turning our attention to the women's side, starting with our top ranked Aussie - Ajla Tomljanovic.
Ajla Tomljanovic (AUS) vs [18] Jil Teichmann (SUI)
Australia’s No. 1 rank on the women’s side Ajla Tomljanovic will face No. 18 seed Jil Teichmann in the first round of Wimbledon.
Tomljanovic put on display the damage she can do on the surface after reaching the quarterfinals at Wimbledon last year, and I give rate her chances in this match against Teichmann, who has not won a main draw match at Wimbledon and has lost her two matches on grass in the lead up to this tournament.
[Q] Jaimee Fourlis (AUS) vs Kirsten Flipkens (BEL)
Rising star Jaimee Fourlis has enjoyed an incredible run of form in recent weeks, which has seen her claim multiple titles on the ITF Tour before qualifying for her maiden Wimbledon main draw.
The Aussie comes up against 36-year-old veteran Kirsten Flipkens, who reached the semifinals back in 2013.
Despite Flipkens’s run to the semis back in 2013, she has made it up past the second round on just one occasion since, and I rate Fourlis’ chances in this match.
The Aussie’s game is capable of doing damage on the grass and providing she brings her fiery best to the court, Fourlis could see herself in the second round of a major for the first time since 2017.
[Q] Zoe Hives (AUS) vs [5] Maria Sakkari (GRE)
Aussie qualifier Zoe Hives will have her work cut out for her when she takes on No. 5 seed Maria Sakkari in the opening round.
The Hives story is one to be admired, the Aussie overcoming a treacherous run with injury and health issues which has kept her sidelines for the better part of the last three years.
But Sakkari is a brutal first round matchup for Hives, and she will need to produce a special performance to topple the Greek star.
[WC] Daria Saville (AUS) vs Viktoriya Tomova (BUL)
Daria Saville returns to the Wimbledon main draw for the first time since 2019, and will face Bulgarian Viktoriya Tomova in the first round.
Both players enjoyed their best runs at the tournament in 2018, where Saville reached the third round and Tomova the second respectively.
The pair met have met once, in 2020, where Tomova won in straight sets.
I see this as a tight matchup, but a very winnable one for Saville, who’s form of late has seen her rise from outside the top 600 in the ranks to land herself back inside the top 100.
[Q] Astra Sharma (AUS) vs Tatjana Maria (GER)
Australian qualifier Astra Sharma returns to The All England Club for her third main draw appearance, in the hunt for her maiden main draw win at Wimbledon.
Sharma will come up against 34-year-old veteran Tatjana Maria in the opening round.
It will be the pairs first meeting, and a winnable one for the Aussie.
There’s no doubt Sharma will have her opportunities in this match, but she will need to take them in order to claim victory, which is something she wasn’t able to do in the opening round of Roland Garros, where she lost a nail biting clash 5-7 in the third.
[Q] Maddison Inglis (AUS) vs Dalma Galfi (HUN)
Australian Maddison Inglis will make her Wimbledon main draw debut after navigating her way through a tough qualifying draw.
Inglis met Galfi in the opening round of Indian Wells qualifying this year, where the Hungarian came from a set down to claim victory.
This is going to be a tight match, but a winnable one for Inglis who proved what she’s capable of, reaching the third round of the Australian Open earlier this year.
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