This article is part of our Tennis Picks series.
Second-round play begins at Wimbledon on Wednesday from the grass courts of the All England Club in London. Italian stars in both the men's and ladies' draws should continue to shine brightly, while a pair of high-profile WTA players with minimal Grand Slam success in the last couple years are in danger of crashing out early once again.
All Tennis Odds & Lines are taken from DraftKings Sportsbook, but you can sometimes find more favorable odds on some of these matches by checking mobile sportsbooks such as FanDuel Sportsbook, BetMGM, Caesars Sportsbook, or any of the other best sports betting sites. We offer exclusive sign-up bonuses for some of those sportsbooks in states where sports betting has gone live.
All men's singles matches at Grand Slams such as Wimbledon are best of five sets, while women's singles matches are best of three sets. A mix of players' previous grass court results, recent form and stylistic matchups can help pinpoint intriguing betting opportunities, both among favorites likely to cruise to victory and underdogs ready to pull off upsets. The aforementioned underdogs are highlighted in the Upset Alert section, the Lock It In section covers players who can safely be viewed as overwhelming favorites, while the Value Bets section recommends enticing options in matchups that are considered closer to toss-ups.
Wimbledon Picks: Upset Alert
Arantxa Rus (+500) vs. Maria Sakkari
Sakkari has consistently come up short at the biggest tournaments, as the last time she reached a Grand Slam third round was at the 2023 Australian Open. Grass is also her worst surface, as Sakkari's just 9-7 in her career at Wimbledon and hasn't been past the third round. The No. 9 seed dominated 119th-ranked McCartney Kessler 6-3, 6-1 in the opening round, but the 56th-ranked Rus is a far more challenging opponent. Rus' last top-10 win came 12 years ago at Wimbledon over Samantha Stosur, but the Dutch 33-year-old has actually gotten better with age, as Rus won her first career WTA title last season. If Sakkari allows Rus to seize control of points with her big lefty forehand, this could turn into yet another early Grand Slam exit for the Athenian.
Elise Mertens (+160) vs. Emma Raducanu
Raducanu capitalized on a favorable first-round draw after Ekaterina Alexandrova withdrew late due to an illness. The 135th-ranked Brit took care of business against lucky loser Renata Zarazua 7-6 (0), 6-3. It's nice to see Raducanu finding a modicum of on-court success again, but don't be too quick to pencil her into what would be her first Grand Slam third round since Raducanu's storybook triumph at the 2021 U.S. Open. The 33rd-ranked Mertens just missed the seeding cutoff here, but she has a strong all-court game and is the world's top-ranked doubles player. Mertens has reached the third round or better in 22 of 25 Grand Slam appearances dating back to the start of 2018, and the Belgian's high floor suggests she should be at least even money rather than a substantial underdog against an opponent who hasn't been able to build much rhythm for nearly three years.
Honorable Mention
Zhizhen Zhang (+290) vs. Jan-Lennard Struff
Wimbledon Odds: Lock It In
Jannik Sinner (-525) vs. Matteo Berrettini
Berrettini's a tough second-round draw, but it's hard to see him making enough inroads on Sinner's serve to get within striking distance of an upset. Sinner held the best returner of all time in Novak Djokovic without a break point for the first time in Djokovic's Grand Slam career in their Australian Open semifinal clash, so Berrettini may not get many sniffs at a break of serve against the world No. 1. Berrettini's one of the best servers on tour and reached the Wimbledon final in 2021, but he has been beset by injuries since, missing chunks of time due to abdominal, hand and foot injuries. Both big-hitting Italians can control play with their forehands, but Sinner has a massive edge when it comes to both the backhand and court coverage.
Jasmine Paolini (-275) vs. Greet Minnen
Paolini has been effective on all surfaces in 2024, winning a hard-court WTA 1000 title in Dubai and reaching the French Open final on clay. Switching to grass hasn't slowed her roll, as Paolini reached the semifinals in Eastbourne and won her first-round match here over Sara Sorribes Tormo in straight sets. The No. 7 seed should keep rolling against the 80th-ranked Minnen, who is just 16-21 in 2024 and 7-14 in her career at Grand Slams.
Honorable Mention
Alexander Bublik (-260) vs. Arthur Cazaux
Wimbledon Predictions: Value Bets
Brandon Nakashima (-160) vs. Jordan Thompson
Nakashima is enjoying a quietly strong season. His 10-9 record at the ATP Tour level doesn't do Nakashima's form justice, as he's extremely match-fit thanks to a robust and successful schedule on the Challenger circuit. The 22-year-old American also has excellent underlying numbers when it comes to holding serve, which correlates with success on grass. He dominated No. 18 seed Sebastian Baez 6-2, 6-3, 6-4 in the first round, while Thompson's recovery ability will be put to the test after his 5-7, 5-7, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 first-round marathon against Pavel Kotov. These two have surprisingly played five times already, with Nakashima holding a 3-2 edge overall, though Thompson came back from two sets down to beat Nakashima in the first round of Wimbledon last year. Nakashima's much more confident in his game than he was a year ago, so he's unlikely to let a lead slip away this time.
Lorenzo Sonego (+135) vs. Roberto Bautista Agut
Sonego's a solid all-court player who reached the Wimbledon Round of 16 three years ago. The 54th-ranked Italian is a slight underdog here due to his underwhelming 11-18 record in 2024, but Sonego is still in or near his prime at age 29, while the 36-year-old Bautista Agut's best days are undoubtedly behind him. The Spaniard has dipped to 112th in the rankings, and RBA is far from the player he was when he reached the semifinals here back in 2019.
Honorable Mention
Clara Burel (-105) vs. Sonay Kartal
