Will Zverev easily clear the first hurdle?
After a very weak year at the French Open 2023 audibly broke the knot for Alexander Zverev, the German is now aiming high at the prestigious Wimbledon Championships. The tournament tree in general has not been kind to Sascha. However, at least his Dutch opening opponent should not be too much of a hurdle. Accordingly, there is no alternative to betting on Alexander Zverev’s progress against Gijs Boruwer.
While the German has already reached the Wimbledon round of 16 twice in his career and has won a total of eleven of his 17 singles matches on the grass at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, his first-round opponent from the Netherlands will now play his first match in the men’s singles at Wimbledon. Accordingly, our prediction for Alexander Zverev’s 3-0 win over Gijs Boruwer is relatively clear.
Although Alexander Zverev has struggled many times this year, even from a clear favourite role. However, there is really not much to suggest that he will be overly challenged by the Dutch underdog, who only made his debut on the ATP Tour last summer at the age of 27 and has never been ranked in the top 100 of the ATP world rankings.
In other words, even a set win for the Dutchman would be a big surprise. We are therefore betting that Sascha will win his opening match 3-0 and secure his ticket to the second round.
Alexander Zverev – Statistics & current form
Current world ranking: 21
Position in the seedings: 19
The 26-year-old German Alexander Zverev suffered a serious injury at the 2022 French Open, which also caused him to miss the Wimbledon Championships in London a year ago, where he reached the last 16 in both 2017 and 2021.
In 2023, too, the injury was still having an effect. Sascha’s path back to the top was correspondingly long and arduous. At the latest in Roland Garros, where the Hamburg player reached the semifinals, the knot finally burst.
Won eight of the last ten singles matches
The first title win in the new year is still a long time coming. At the preparatory tournament in Halle, however, the German showed a strong performance on grass and beat three strong opponents – Dominic Thiem, Denis Shapovalov and Nicolas Jarry – 2-0.
Once again, the Hamburg player was only stopped in the semifinals, where he was beaten 0:2 by Alexander Bublik. It was one of only two defeats among the last ten singles matches. After a mixed start to the year, Alexander Zverev’s overall record is now much better with 24 wins from 40 singles matches.
Tough draw for Sascha
All in all, the draw at Wimbledon has not been kind to the German, who already faces the first tough opponent in round three, Matteo Berrettini or Alex de Minaur, before top favourite Carlos Alcaraz could be waiting for him in the last 16.
At least in the opening match, however, the number 19 seed has a relatively rewarding task. In the case of Alexander Zverev against Gijs Boruwer, the odds are heavily in favour of the Hamburg player, who has only failed to reach the first round once in his six appearances at the Wimbledon Championships so far.
Gijs Brouwer – Statistics & current form
Current world ranking: 153
Seeded List Position: Qualifier
The 27-year-old Dutchman Gijs Brouwer is certainly still a blank slate for most tennis fans. The American-born player already flew completely under the radar in his junior career and only reached rank 911 in the junior world rankings.
As a professional, Michiel Schapers’ protégé only made it to the main draw of an ATP Tour tournament for the first time last autumn in Houston at the age of 27. At Grand Slam level, it is his second tournament after the US Open in 2022, where he celebrated a 3-0 surprise victory over Adrian Mannarino in round one.
Classic serve-and-volley style on grass
It is clear that the Dutchman has absolutely nothing to lose at the Wimbledon Championships and can only surprise in a positive way. However, in the case of Alexander Zverev against Gijs Boruwer, the odds on him managing a surprise against the German superstar are not good.
After all, Gijs Brouwer is not only left-handed, but also prefers to play the almost old-fashioned serve-and-volley style on grass. This should not pose any serious problems for Alexander Zverev, whose older brother Mischa Zverev played exactly the same style as a left-hander, simply because of the years of training sessions with his brother.
In February with a 2:0 win over Holger Rune
Nonetheless, it should have become clear to neutral observers this year that Gijs Brouwer has the potential to break into the top 100 of the ATP world rankings in the foreseeable future and to be a regular participant in Grand Slam tournaments.
Just recently in Rotterdam, the Dutchman finally managed his biggest singles win of his career so far this year on hard court when he beat Holger Rune 2-0. It was one of six wins from 11 rated singles on the ATP Tour in the 2023 calendar year for the 27-year-old, who recorded his first and only victory against a top-10 player to date in the process.
Alexander Zverev – Gijs Brouwer Direct comparison / H2H record
Head to head: 0:0
Never before have both athletes faced each other in a rated singles match on the ATP Tour. Consequently, there is no head to head data available that could be used in the forecast for Alexander Zverev against Gijs Boruwer.
Alexander Zverev – Gijs Brouwer Tip
With Alexander Zverev against Gijs Boruwer, the betting odds are swinging in all shapes and forms towards an opening win for the German superstar, whose knot finally broke at the 2023 French Open last time out. It is true that Sascha was always good for a wobble against supposed outsiders in 2023. However, considering that he has won eight of his last ten singles matches and has finally been able to overcome his slump in form, we find little that speaks against the player from Hamburg.
Challenger Gijs Brouwer is also entering new territory. Although the Dutchman has nothing to lose, he is confronted with one of the best all-rounders on the ATP Tour. Even a set win for the underdog would be a bit of a surprise.
