Casper Ruud vs Hubert Hurkacz Prediction, Pick, Odds for Wimbledon First Round

Wimbledon begins on Monday, with a duel between two marquee names — Casper Ruud and Hubert Hurkacz (approx. 8 a.m. ET).

Normally this would be a match reserved for later in the event, but Hurkacz has had a rough season following a long-term injury.

Find my Wimbledon preview and Ruud vs Hurkacz prediction for Monday below.

Casper Ruud vs Hubert Hurkacz Player Prediction

• Ruud vs Hurkacz Pick: Hurkacz ML -229

My Ruud vs Hurkacz best bet is on Hurkacz to win straight up. Make sure to find the best odds by checking our live Wimbledon odds page.

Ruud vs Hurkacz Odds

Ruud vs Hurkacz Preview, Prediction

by Tudor Cosma

Casper Ruud Betting Preview

Ruud is a 27-year-old Norwegian who's ranked 12th in the world rankings.

He showed up for this tournament after a two-year break, during which he wasn't injured, but simply refused to play on a surface that he doesn't perform well on. His best result in this tournament is the second round, which says a lot about the way he handles grass.

Normally, Ruud is a top-10 player. A three-time Grand Slam finalist and former world No. 2, Ruud should be a danger to any opponent he meets. Instead, that's not the case on grass.

Ruud performs best on clay, where he's a double finalist at Roland Garros, meeting Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic in these matches.

Reaching the US Open final was more surprising for him, especially since he's very criticized for the way he plays on fast courts. He lost to Carlos Alcaraz and was one step away from becoming the world leader.

Ruud isn't in bad form, although he's dropped out of the top 10. However, as mentioned before, there's a difference between his game on clay and his game on other types of surfaces.

In addition, it seems to me that his intensity has decreased. I don't know what the future holds for him, but he's still young and will be able to achieve positive performances in the coming years, potentially returning to the top-10.

At the same time, it seems increasingly unlikely that he'll impose himself in a Grand Slam. After he retires, he'll probably end up in a category with David Ferrer, Tomas Berdych or Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, although Ruud — having a much calmer personality — doesn't have such a vast fan base and tends to be underestimated, even by specialists.

Last season was a good one for him. He earned a Masters trophy in Madrid, reached the quarterfinals in Rome and then had an indoor title in Stockholm, where he got past Denis Shapovalov and Sebastian Korda.

The new season is going similarly, with a fourth-round appearance at the Australian Open, a quarterfinal berth in Madrid and a Masters final in Rome, where he had no chance against Jannik Sinner.

At Roland Garros, he was eliminated by Joao Fonseca in the fourth round, and since then, he hasn't played any official matches.

However, he played at Hurlingham, an exhibition tournament, where he lost 3-6 4-6 to Ben Shelton.

Hubert Hurkacz Betting Preview

Hurkacz is a 29-year-old Pole who's ranked 95th in the ATP world rankings.

He's, as you can see, one small step away from leaving the world's top 100. This would be disastrous for a tennis player who two years ago was ranked sixth in the world, his peak.

Unfortunately, Hurkacz's body is increasingly fragile, and injuries have been a constant. Therefore, he risks reaching an almost dramatic point where he'll no longer be assured of his presence in the main draw of the Grand Slams.

Obviously, he can recover the points and climb the rankings. However, there's also the possibility that this will put too much pressure on Hurkacz.

Normally, he's excellent on grass. Hurkacz is one of the tallest players in the world and has one of the best serves on the circuit. It's difficult for anyone to break him, so fast surfaces suit him. He's very calm, has a quiet personality and many fellow tennis players appreciate him, seeing him as a gentle giant.

Last season was modest, as he was injured for about six months, missing Wimbledon and then the entire summer circuit, including the US Open.

He's had a weak start to this season that's probably been impacted by injuries. He has a final on his resume, but in a very small tournament, the Challenger event in Cagliari, where he lost to Matteo Arnaldi.

At Roland Garros, he didn't play badly, but he lost early in the second round to Frances Tiafoe. I think the fact that he lasted five sets is a positive sign.

On grass he played in 's-Hertogenbosch, where he lost in the first round to Marton Fucsovics. In Halle, he lost to Daniel Altmaier. However, he also achieved a victory there, passing through Andrey Rublev in two short sets.

Unfortunately, I don't see him getting very far in this tournament, although he has a semifinal here in the past.

Ruud vs Hurkacz Predictions, Betting Analysis

Ruud isn't very good on grass. In the last two editions of this tournament, he didn't even participate, and his career-best in London is the second round.

This is strange for an athlete who spent so much time in the top 10, but it's understandable considering that he's a clay player who isn't strong on this Wimbledon surface.

Hurkacz didn't participate in Wimbledon last year either due to an injury. He's had a very weak season, as he's close to dropping out of the top 100. That's why Monday's match is very important for him.

Hurkacz is good on grass — even posting a semifinal here. He's very tall and his serve is strong, so it'll be difficult for him to give up a break.

Even if the grass season so far has been a failure for Hurkacz, he beat Rublev, which can give him confidence.

I therefore will take Hurkacz.

Pick: Hubert Hurkacz ML -229