Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic Are Expected To Face Off In The Wimbledon Championship Match

 The top two seeds at Wimbledon, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, may face off on July 10 at the All-England Club in what would be yet another historic Grand Slam final.

But both men still have a long way to go before that.

The No. 1 seed, defending champion, and favourite is Djokovic, 35. After winning Wimbledon last year, the 20-time major champion is vying for his first major triumph.

In the U.S. Open final against Daniil Medvedev, he fell one match short of completing the calendar Grand Slam. The Wimbledon tournament has barred Russian and Belarusian players in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, despite the fact that the Russian is currently rated No. 1 in the world.

Djokovic fell to Nadal in four sets in the quarterfinals of the French Open after being denied entry to the Australian Open due to his lack of a Covid-19 vaccination. He had already been denied entry to Indian Wells and Miami for the similar reasons.

Soonwoo Kwon, ranked 75th, is Djokovic's first opponent. He could then play the powerful-serving American Reilly Opelka in the fourth round.

Although Djokovic's draw appears to be favourable, a potential quarterfinal matchup with the young Spanish sensation Carlos Alcaraz may make things intriguing. The Serb might then play Casper Ruud, who finished second at the French Open, in the semifinals before facing Nadal or Stefanos Tsitsipas in the championship match.

After Djokovic fell short last year by one match, Nadal, 36, is now in position to become the first man to win the calendar Grand Slam since Rod Laver in 1969. Nadal has never previously won the Australian Open and the French Open to start a season. With 22 Grand Slam singles titles overall—two more than Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer combined—he holds the male record.

Here are some important first-round matchups to watch for:

• Novak Djokovic vs Soonwoo Kwon

• Jannik Sinner vs Stan Wawrinka

• Andy Murray vs James Duckworth

• Carlos Alcaraz vs Jan-Lennard Struff

• Cameron Norrie vs Pablo Andujar

• Paul Jubb vs Nick Kyrgios

• Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Alexander Ritschard

• Dan Evans vs Jason Kubler

• Rafael Nadal vs Francisco Cerundolo