Three to See, Day 1: Dimitrov vs. Wawrinka; Serena, Federer in action

Lajovic should be a reassuring face for Federer to see across from him as he opens his eighth Wimbledon title defense. He saw the Serb in the second round here last year, and saw him off in straights sets. After Alexander Dolgopolov retired in the middle of their first-round match, Federer recorded his first completed victory of the fortnight against Lajovic. You might even say that his 7-0 blitz job in the first-set tiebreaker kicked him into gear for the rest of the tournament.

It might not be quite as easy this time, though. Despite nearly winning both of his Wimbledon tune-up events, Federer struggled to find a rhythm and a feel for the ball much of the time. If Lajovic is calm enough to pressure him, that could happen again. The 28-year-old is ranked just No. 75, but he pushed Alexander Zverev to a fifth set at Roland Garros, and nearly beat Dominic Thiem in the semis in Lyon the week before. But those two matches were on clay; this on will be on Federer’s surface.

Obligatory one-handed backhand mention: Lajovic’s may be my favorite to watch of anyone’s on the men’s tour. Winner: Federer

Racquet Bracket—Tennis Channel discusses Roger Federer at Wimbledon:

Serena must be feeling confident, or at least relaxed, about making her return to Wimbledon after two years away. Rather than sit through her pre-tournament press conference on Saturday, or hole up in her flat, she watched polo with Meghan Markle. It will be back-to-business time for Williams on Monday when she plays Rus, a 27-year-old from The Netherlands ranked No. 105. The two have never faced each other, and Rus is a lefty, which adds a wrinkle to her game. Serena has also not played since she was forced to withdraw from the French Open with an injury to her pectoral muscle.

All of those things, plus the fact that this is a first-round match at a Grand Slam, will likely add to Serena’s stress level to start. But as long as she’s healthy enough, and calm enough, she should eventually bring her superior power to bear on the 143-pound Dutchwoman, who has shown more comfort on clay than she has on grass this year. Winner: S. Williams

Racquet Bracket—Tennis Channel discusses Serena Williams at Wimbledon:

Perhaps the most intriguing first-round contest of the men’s draw, Dimitrov vs. Wawrinka will be the last match on Centre Court on Monday. It’s a tough one to call. Dimitrov is the No. 6 seed, and Wawrinka, who is still in recovery mode after undergoing knee surgery last year, is unseeded—Stan was even blown out last week by Andy Murray, who decided he wasn’t fit enough to play Wimbledon.

Dimitrov owns a 4-2 record against Wawrinka, and he won their only meeting on grass, four years ago. But the Bulgarian hasn’t exactly been lighting up the courts this spring, either. He lost in the first round in Madrid and Rome, and went down tamely to Novak Djokovic at Queen’s. But he still would seem to be the better bet on this day. Winner: Dimitrov

A LANDMARK DOCUMENTARY DURING THE MOST PRESTIGIOUS EVENT IN SPORTS, CELEBRATING THE UNPARALLELED FEDERER-NADAL RIVALRY AND 10TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE GREATEST MATCH EVER PLAYED.

In association with All England Lawn & Tennis Club, Rock Paper Scissors Entertainment and Amblin Television.  Directed by Andrew Douglas.