Taylor Fritz will make his seventh appearance at Wimbledon when he takes to court on Monday against Germany’s Yannick Hanfmann.

The ninth-seeded American, who advanced to the quarter-finals last year, caught up with ATPTour.com ahead of his opening match to discuss his favourite Wimbledon memories, moments and much more…

What is your first Wimbledon memory?
I didn’t really watch a lot of tennis growing up, but one memory I do have is that crazy Rafa and Fed final. It was some match.

What is your first memory of playing at Wimbledon?
I played as a junior. It was really cool. It is the most prestigious tournament in tennis, so the first time there was a wow feeling. ‘I’m here, I made it’. You take a step back and kind of look at it once you get there.

What is your favourite moment at Wimbledon?
I think just the first time I was there as a junior. I made a really big breakthrough and probably started to think that maybe I could actually be a successful professional tennis player. Because I was not ranked that high or anything as a junior. I made the semi-finals of the juniors when I was 16. And I think that’s really when I was like, ‘Wow, maybe this is something I might actually be good enough to do, to become a professional’.

And then of course, last year winning my round of 16 match to make quarter-finals for the first time. That was a big moment for me. I’d never been to quarter-finals of a Slam.

Do you have a favourite Wimbledon tradition?
I think at times the little details might be a little strict. But at the end of the day, I think all the traditions are a big part. It’s good. I think the tradition in the end is what makes Wimbledon, Wimbledon. And it wouldn’t quite be the same without the all-white, without the strawberries and cream. I think if these things were to change, Wimbledon wouldn’t quite be Wimbledon.

Do you have a favourite court at Wimbledon?
Not yet. But we will see after this year.

What is your favourite part about being in London?
It’s definitely nice after traveling around Europe a lot to be in another English-speaking country. That’s something that you miss a lot. I just enjoy being here. The buzz around Wimbledon’s always great. It’s great to feel the energy of people, who are really excited and care about tennis.

Francisco Cerundolo overcame the Eastbourne rain and American Mackenzie McDonald to reach the final at the Rothesay International on Saturday.

The Argentine led McDonald 2-6, 7-5, 5-2 when the wet weather intervened on Friday evening, but he wasted little time in reaching his fourth tour-level final and first on grass when the action resumed Saturday, advancing 2-6, 7-5, 6-2 in two hours and seven minutes.

Cerundolo, who has earned a career-best 27 wins this season, will continue the quest for his second tour-level crown when he meets second seed Tommy Paul or Frenchman Gregoire Barrere in the championship match later on Saturday. Cerundolo won his only previous tour-level trophy on clay in Bastad last year.

The American McDonald was in control early in the semi-final with a 6-2, 4-1 advantage. But Cerundolo snapped back with four straight games and then won six consecutive games to take the second set and open up a 4-0 lead in the third. McDonald snatched one break back in the deciding set before rain stopped play, but was broken immediately when the action resumed on Saturday.

While some of the most intriguing Wimbledon storylines will play out over the course of the upcoming fortnight, there is sure to be plenty of intrigue right from the start of the grass-court Grand Slam.

Of the 64 first-round men’s singles matches on tap for Monday and Tuesday in London, ATPTour.com highlights five must-see matchups.

[5] Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE) vs. Dominic Thiem (AUT)

The nine previous Lexus ATP Head2Head matchups between Stefanos Tsitsipas and Dominic Thiem have come on some of the biggest stages in tennis. In addition to their two Nitto ATP Finals matchups — including the 2019 title match, won by Tsitsipas — they have also played at three ATP Masters 1000s and at Roland Garros.

Thiem leads the series 5-4 but lost a thrilling three-setter in their most recent meeting at the Mutua Madrid Open this April. After Tsitsipas escaped with a 3-6, 6-1 7-6(5) win in their first matchup since 2020, the Greek showed his respect for his opponent with some encouraging words at the net.

“Your best [match] yet. You still have it,” Tsitsipas said to the Austrian, who has struggled to sustain top form since coming back from a wrist injury last season. “Keep going. You’ve got this,” Tsitsipas added.

The Greek enters Wimbledon with a 1-3 grass-court record this season, while Thiem was beaten by Alexander Zverev in his lone grass event of 2023 in Halle. As both men search for the sort of tennis that has seen them make regular trips deep into majors, their opening-round matchup feels very much up for grabs despite the gap of 85 places in their Pepperstone ATP Rankings.

[30] Nick Kyrgios (AUS) vs. [WC] David Goffin (BEL)

Nick Kyrgios was unseeded last year at Wimbledon when he advanced to his first Grand Slam final. Seeded 30th in his return to the All England Lawn Tennis Club, the Aussie was nonetheless handed a major opening test against wild card David Goffin.

Despite his current standing outside the Top 100 of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, Goffin has reached the Wimbledon quarter-finals in each of his past two appearances (2019, 2022). He was one set away from the semis last year, but could not convert on a two-sets-to-one lead against home favourite Cameron Norrie in the quarters. The former World No. 7 is seeking his first Grand Slam match win of the season after pulling out of the Australian Open with illness and losing to Hubert Hurkacz in five first-round sets at Roland Garros.

Kyrgios has played just one ATP Tour event this season after suffering ankle and knee injuries early in the year. He was beaten by Wu Yibing in Stuttgart in his only appearance, after which he asked fans for patience in his comeback.

Can memories of his magical 2022 run spark a return to form on the London lawns?

Andy Murray (GBR) vs. [WC] Ryan Peniston (GBR)

Andy Murray made a red-hot start to the grass season by winning two straight ATP Challenger Tour titles behind 10 consecutive match wins in Surbiton and Nottingham. Though he lost to Alex de Minaur at The Queen’s Club immediately following that two-week stretch, he will enter Wimbledon after two full weeks of rest from competitive action.

The former World No. 1 and two-time Wimbledon champion must face a fellow Briton in the opening round. Ryan Peniston enjoyed a breakout grass-court campaign last year, when he reached consecutive ATP Tour quarter-finals at The Queen’s Club and Eastbourne before advancing to the Wimbledon second round. 

This June, the 27-year-old played the same grass-court schedule as Murray, competing exclusively in Great Britain across Surbiton, Nottingham and The Queen’s Club. Now the two British players will have the full attention of their nation when they meet for the first time at their home major.

[10] Frances Tiafoe (USA) vs. Wu Yibing (CHN)

Frances Tiafoe broke into the Top 10 of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings for the first time behind his first grass-court title in Stuttgart earlier in June. The American has maintained that position to earn a Top 10 seed at Wimbledon, where he will bid to improve upon his career-best fourth-round run last season. With two titles already claimed this year, Tiafoe enters full of confidence. 

Wu Yibing won his first ATP Tour title this February in Dallas and later reached the quarter-finals in Geneva. His grass season has seen him face the likes of Kyrgios and World No. 7 Andrey Rublev, with the Chinese star beating Kyrgios in Stuttgart and losing a three-setter to Rublev in Halle. In his Wimbledon debut against Tiafoe, he will play a Top 10 opponent for the second consecutive match.

[9] Taylor Fritz vs. Yannick Hanfmann (GER)

Taylor Fritz drew one of the toughest opening-round matchups possible for a seeded player both by Pepperstone ATP Ranking and by form.

Yannick Hanfmann moved up to No. 44 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings this week behind his semi-final run in Eastbourne, where the German beat World No. 5 Stefanos Tsitsipas. The three wins Hanfmann earned in Eastbourne trump the two victories Fritz has picked up in three grass events this season.

But the American reached his first Grand Slam quarter-final last year at Wimbledon, only bowing out after a five-set epic against Rafael Nadal. While he entered last year’s tournament on the heels of winning the Eastbourne title, he will have to build his momentum from the ground up this year in London.

Daniil Medvedev’s earliest memories of playing grass-court tennis feature some all-too-familiar faces.

“My first time on grass was when I played junior Wimbledon [in 2013],” Medvedev told ATPTour.com last week. “There was a tournament beforehand in Roehampton, where they also play qualies for Wimbledon. I actually lost to Nick Kyrgios [in the second round], and he won the tournament against Sascha [Alexander] Zverev in the final.

“They were really amazing at their age. I was nowhere close because they were very young when they went on the professional Tour, into the Top 100 and started playing the best in the world. I remember them playing the final. I think I actually even watched it, and it was just like watching two legends, two junior legends, play.”

Medvedev may have taken a little longer to join Kyrgios and Zverev among the ATP Tour’s elite, but he now owns more tour-level trophies than both his former junior rivals. The 20th and most recent of his titles, which moved him clear of 19-time champion Zverev, came at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome in May. It was Medvedev’s first ATP Tour crown on clay, heralded by many as a breakthrough for a player who has never been shy about his heavy preference for hard courts.

Given he now owns tour-level titles on hard (18 of his 20 triumphs have come on the surface), grass (Mallorca, 2021) and clay (this year’s Rome win), is the World No. 3 any closer to considering himself an ‘all-court’ player?

“I still believe the most in myself on hard courts because that’s still where my biggest titles are,” said Medvedev. “One Grand Slam, [five] Masters 1000s. I was never able to achieve kind of close on other surfaces, [but] I know that I can play well, finally, even on clay. Winning a Masters 1000 [in Rome] was unbelievable. There are some amazing clay-court players that never won a Masters, so it’s just unreal.

“I know that I can play well on grass. It’s just there’s something that I’m much more confident about myself on hard courts. But whenever I play, no matter the surface, I always try to win. I always try to be the best even if sometimes it doesn’t work. And that’s what I try every year on the clay and grass, even if I like hard courts more.”

Medvedev arrives at Wimbledon with an 8-4 record at the grass-court major. The 27-year-old enjoyed his best run at SW19 on his most recent appearance by reaching the fourth round in 2021. For someone that is used to competing for the biggest prizes in the game, that is something he is keen to improve.

“For the moment, Wimbledon is the Grand Slam where I have my worst result, [reaching the] fourth round,” said Medvedev. “Roland Garros is quarter-finals. So I for sure want to change it. I feel like I’m capable of playing well [at Wimbledon], but like always there are a lot of tough opponents that don’t want to let you do this.

“I want to show my best there. [It is] unbelievable to be there every time you come. You step on the grounds, and you know even when you come in the player lobby, straightaway you see grass all around, and perfectly cut. You just feel, ‘Well, here I am at Wimbledon and it’s a great feeling’, and I will be happy to experience it this year.”

Medvedev is not the only big name seeking a first deep run at the All England Club. World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz reached the fourth round in 2022 and lifted an ATP 500 trophy at The Queen’s Club last week in just his third tour-level event on grass. Promising signs for the Spaniard on a surface that Medvedev believes provides a complex challenge.

“I feel like grass is a really interesting surface, because many times I will be looking at someone playing and in my mind, I will be like, ‘This guy can play well on grass normally. Big serve, big forehand or something like this, knows how to slice’,” said Medvedev. “And for whatever reason he doesn’t like it and he [doesn’t do well on grass].

“Then there is going to be someone else [like Alcaraz], where you say in your mind that while his game is not really suited for grass — maybe he doesn’t go to the net that often and stuff like this — and then he plays so well on grass, and he says it himself that it is his best and favourite surface. That’s where it’s surprising.”

Carlos Alcaraz/Daniil Medvedev” />

_{^{Alcaraz and Medvedev’s maiden Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting came at Wimbledon in 2021. Photo: Julian Finney/Getty Images.}}

It was Medvedev who ended Alcaraz’s maiden campaign on grass when he eased to a 6-4, 6-1, 6-2 second-round triumph against the then-18-year-old Spaniard at Wimbledon two years ago. Alcaraz has since lifted 11 tour-level titles, including a maiden major at the 2022 US Open, and risen to become the youngest No. 1 in the history of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings.

“In my opinion, the way Carlos plays on every surface, he can win maybe five Wimbledons, but you never know,” said Medvedev. “It’s a tough surface to play on. When we played [in 2021], he was not the same player, so I managed to get the best of this match. Last year I think he improved [on grass] already, played this four-setter against [Jannik] Sinner [in the fourth round]. I remember it was a great match.

“So I think his potential is really high on any surface, but grass is a tough surface for many players. Let’s see how he handles this task.”

Fourth seed Francisco Cerundolo was in position to put the finishing touches on a comeback semi-final victory at the Rothesay International when rain stopped play on Friday in Eastbourne. 

The Argentine led Mackenzie McDonald 2-6, 7-5, 5-2 when the wet weather intervened. Though the players returned to the court and attempted to warm up in the evening, it was ultimately decided that play would not resume until Saturday.

Cerundolo is bidding to add to his personal-best 26 matches won this season as he seeks his second ATP Tour title (2022 Bastad). McDonald, who beat World No. 9 and Eastbourne top seed Taylor Fritz in the second round for his third career Top 10 win, is bidding for his second tour-level final (2021 Washington).

The American was in control early in the semi-final with a 6-2, 4-1 advantage. But Cerundolo snapped back with four straight games and then won six consecutive games to take the second set and open up a 4-0 lead in the third. McDonald snatched one break back in the deciding set and will serve at 2-5 when play resumes.

Second seed Tommy Paul and Frenchman Gregoire Barrere will also contest their postponed semi-final at the ATP 250 on Saturday. Paul is seeking his second ATP Tour title (2021 Stockholm), while Barrere will play for his first tour-level final appearance.

Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic completed a hat-trick of titles at the Rothesay International on Friday by stopping the 13-match winning streak of Roland Garros champions Ivan Dodig and Austin Krajicek.

The Croatians claimed their third ATP Tour title of 2023 with a 6-4, 6-2 final victory in Eastbourne. The champions saved all three break points they faced in the trophy match and converted on three of their four chances on return.

Seeded fourth at the ATP 250, Mektic/Pavic did not lose a set on the week and were pushed as far as a tie-break just once, in the opening round against Jamie Murray and Michael Venus.

The title is their third of the 2023 season (Auckland, Stuttgart) and their sixth on grass — a haul that includes their 2021 Wimbledon title in their first year as a team. Since pairing up at the start of 2021, they have won 17 tour-level titles including four ATP Masters 1000 crowns.

Mektic/Pavic moved up two places to 18th this week in the Pepperstone ATP Live Doubles Teams Rankings, while their opponents remain atop the calendar-year points race for a place at the Nitto ATP Finals.

Dodig/Krajicek saw their winning streak stopped after consecutive trophy runs at Roland Garros and The Queen’s Club. Krajicek, who debuted at No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Doubles Rankings after Roland Garros, briefly ceded the top spot but reclaimed the honour entering this week and now remains No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Doubles Live Rankings.