Wimbledon Odds: Djokovic Eases Into Third Round; Ruud, Raducanu Among Biggest Upsets

Defending champion Novak Djokovic beat Thanasi Kobbinakis in straight sets on Wednesday to move into the third round at Wimbledon.

Djokovic, who is now the -190 favorite to win Wimbledon at DraftKings Sportsbook, defeated Kobbinakis 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 in a day of easy work for the 20-time Grand Slam champion.

Djokovic steps up play in second-round rout

With world No. 1 Daniil Medvedev out of Wimbledon due to its ban on Russian players, and No. 2 Alexander Zverev nursing an injury, Djokovic is the clear favorite to lift the trophy in London. Rafael Nadal (+450) represents his toughest competition, with Stefanos Tsitsipas (+1400) and Carlos Alcaraz (+1200) the only other top-10 players remaining in the field.

“I think the quality of tennis was really high from my side,” Djokovic said after Wednesday’s match. “It was better than the first match performance, and I knew that I had to start off well today because I was facing a really tricky opponent, someone that serves well and has a big forehand, so I didn’t want to give him too much time.”

While there were other top players in the men’s draw, they have been dropping like flies in the early going. On Wednesday, No. 3 seed Casper Ruud lost to France’s Ugo Humbert 3-6, 6-2, 7-5, 6-4. He joined sixth-seeded Felix Auger-Aliassime and No. 7 seed Hubert Hurkacz as early exits, as they both lost in their first-round matches.

British fans also saw the end of the line for two-time Wimbledon champion Andy Murray, who lost his second-round matchup 6-4, 7-6 (7-4), 6-7 (7-3), 6-4 to John Isner. Murray had never before lost to Isner, and this marks his earliest exit from Wimbledon.

“Look, it’s no secret that I am most definitely not a better tennis player than Andy Murray,” Isner said afterward. “I might have just been a little bit better than him today.”

Raducanu out of Wimbledon in another early exit

In the women’s draw, US Open champion Emma Raducanu lost her second-round match to Caroline Garcia, dashing another British hope for a Wimbledon title. The 19-year-old Raducanu has lost in the second round of all three Grand Slam tournaments this year.

“There’s no pressure … I’m still 19,” Raducanu told reporters. “I’m a Slam champion, so no one’s going to take that away from me. Yeah, if anything, the pressure is on those who haven’t done that.”

Raducanu was one of three top-10 seeds on the women’s side to lose Wednesday at Wimbledon. No. 2 Anett Kontaveit saw her tournament come to an early end, losing 6-4, 6-0 to Germany’s Jule Niemeier. Meanwhile, 9th-seeded Garbine Muguruza, who won Wimbledon in 2017, fell by the same score to Greet Minnen in her delayed first-round match.

Those losses, combined with Serena Williams’ defeat on Tuesday, have further opened up the tournament draw for world No. 1 Iga Swiatek. The French Open champion is now the +140 favorite to win Wimbledon, with Ons Jabeur (+500) the only other player coming in at odds of tighter than +1200.