Three to See: Wimbledon Day 2, Federer & Serena's return; Medvedev vs. Struff

Roger Federer vs. Adrian Mannarino

We may get a pretty good idea of Federer’s chances at this event right away. Will we see the still-viable competitor who showed up for four rounds at Roland Garros? Or will we see the rust-covered player who struggled to put a ball in the court for the final two sets, and at times looked like he wondered what he was doing out there, against Felix Auger-Aliassime at Halle? Whatever Federer thinks of his current form, he should feel reassured by a couple of things: He’s 6-0 against Mannarino, and he knows that the Frenchman will have to win three sets to beat him. What may be less reassuring is that the Frenchman looked pretty good on grass in Mallorca last week. Winner: Federer

Serena Williams vs. Aliaksandra Sasnovich

For the second straight Slam, the top-ranked WTA players seem to be making way for Serena. This time, Naomi Osaka and Simona Halep, two women who have beaten her in major finals in recent years, have already withdrawn. The difference is that at Roland Garros, Serena was playing on clay; this time she’s on grass, at the tournament she loves to win most. And her draw would seem to give her a chance to get used to the surface. Sasnovich is a quality player who has been ranked as high as No. 30, but she has struggled the past couple of years, and is down to No. 103. She has never played Serena before, and she has definitely never played her on a big show court at Wimbledon before. Winner: S. Williams

Daniil Medvedev vs. Jan-Lennard Struff

Does it help Struff’s cause or hurt it that he just beat Medvedev in straight sets on grass in Halle? It will surely give the German confidence that he can do it again, but it will also alert the Russian to the danger. Indeed, after his defeat, Medvedev bounced back to win his first grass-court title, in Mallorca. Just as important, he has beaten Struff in each of their other three meetings. Struff is the definition of a difficult, and perhaps even nightmarish, first-round opponent at a Slam. On a good day, he hit can big enough to take the racquet out of your hand; on a mediocre day, he can still make you nervous. Last month, he knocked out another Russian Top Tenner, Andrey Rublev, in the first round at Roland Garros. Which is another reason Medvedev should be ready. Winner: Medvedev