Three to See, Day 3: Federer back in action; Pliskova faces Azarenka

Before each day's play at Wimbledon, we'll preview and predict three must-see matches.

The Czech and the Belarusian have played twice already in 2018; Azarenka won in straight sets on hard courts in Miami, while Pliskova won 7-5 in the third on clay in Madrid. They’ve never played on grass, but in theory the surface should favor Azarenka. She has a 29-10 record at Wimbledon, and has reached the semifinals twice, while Pliskova is just 5-6 and has lost in the second round each of the last five years.

Pliskova is the higher-ranked player, and probably the more in-form player, but those second-round losses look like a trend. Winner: Azarenka

WATCH—Daily Serve from Day 2 at Wimbledon:

Federer’s title defense is already off to a flying start. While he was winning his first-round match in routine fashion on Monday, three seeds in his quarter—Richard Gasquet, Leonardo Mayer and Borna Coric, who had beaten him last week in Halle—were being knocked out of the tournament. Now, in the second round, Federer will face a 30-year-old Slovakian ranked 92nd, who has lost all six sets he’s played against the Swiss—only one of them has been as close as 6-4.

Lacko does have one thing going for him: some momentum. He reached the final at the grass-court tune-up in Eastbourne last week. But Eastbourne isn’t Wimbledon. Winner: Federer

The second-seeded Wozniacki isn’t a grass lover, but she’s the clear favorite here. She won her first seven meetings against Makarova, and she’s coming off a title run in Eastbourne last week. The only thing, it would seem, that the Russian can hang her hat on is her lone victory over Wozniacki, which came in three sets at last year’s US Open.

Despite everything I’ve just written, Makarova is talented and experienced enough to trouble Wozniacki, and maybe even to hit her off the court. But after coming from behind numerous times in Eastbourne, Wozniacki should be able to take a punch. Winner: Wozniacki

Strokes of Genius is a world-class documentary capturing the historic 13-year rivalry between tennis icons Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. It is timed for release as the anticipation crests with Roger as returning champion, 10 years after their famed 2008 Wimbledon championship – an epic match so close and so reflective of their competitive balance that, in the end, the true winner was the sport itself.

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