Novak Djokovic seeks 2024 answers for Alcaraz and Sinner after great effort: 4 ATP Wimbledon takeaways

Gasquet will likely be a welcome sight for Federer’s sore eyes. The Swiss is 18-2 against the Frenchmen, hasn’t lost to him since 2011, and has never lost to him on anything other than clay. If the 35-year-old Gasquet is going to sneak in one more win against any of the Big 3, this may be his last decent chance. That’s because Federer was subpar at best in his opener against Adrian Mannarino. He played tentatively, moved cautiously, trailed two sets to one, and advanced when Mannarino twisted his knee and had to retire.

Was that the match Federer needed to shake off the rust? Or is this just how he’s going to play at Wimbledon this year? If it’s the former, he should beat Gasquet for a 19th time. If it’s the latter, this could be a struggle. Winner: Federer

One WTA coach has described Gauff as "already like the female Monfils, athletically speaking."

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Coco Gauff vs. Elena Vesnina

Add Vesnina to the list of moms making comebacks: Two years after giving birth to daughter Elizaveta, the 34-year-old returned to the tour in March, and looked much like her old self in a straight-set win over Martina Trevisan in the first round. Now Vesnina, who made the Wimbledon semifinals in singles in 2016 and won the doubles in 2017, will take on a player half her age. It should be interesting: Gauff seems to like grass, and is learning how to win tennis matches; Vesnina seems to like grass, and is relearning how to win tennis matches. I’ll take the younger player, for today. Winner: Gauff

Nick Kyrgios vs. Gianluca Mager

Kyrgios said he was in pain when he woke up on Wednesday, after playing late into Tuesday evening against Ugo Humbert. This is the type of thing that can happen when you don’t play a match for five months, and then immediately throw yourself into a five-setter at Wimbledon. Kyrgios obviously has a knack for being able to pick up a racquet after a long hiatus and immediately start firing 130-m.p.h. aces. But how will he feel now that he has to go out and play for a third day in a row, in best-of-five, against another quality opponent? It could be worse: Mager is ranked 77th, and he won’t be able to match Kyrgios’ shot-making talents when they face off in the last match on Court 3. But if the Italian can grab an early break and an early set, he may be able make the Aussie feel some pain again. Winner: Kyrgios

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