As for Alcaraz, he must like what he sees ahead of him: Frances Tiafoe, possibly, in the third round; Ugo Humbert in the fourth; and Casper Ruud in the quarters.
Djokovic’s path looks manageable as well, with a couple of exceptions: A possible fourth-round encounter with Holger Rune, and a quarterfinal with grass-lover Hubert Hurkacz.
Three Americans look like possible dark horses
U.S. men tend to succeed on grass at a second-tier level. They win Wimbledon tune-up events, and advance to the quarters at the Big W. This year three of them, Tommy Paul, Taylor Fritz, and Seb Korda, would seem to have a chance to go farther.
It’s hard to believe that Paul, at 27, has only played the main draw at Wimbledon twice. He’s a respectable 5-2 in those outings, and, perhaps more important, he’s coming off his first grass-court title, and his biggest win yet, at Queen’s Club. Paul has the raw athleticism for grass, but does he believe he can seriously contend at the world’s most important event? More specifically, does he believe he can beat Alcaraz there, because he may face him in the quarterfinals. Paul upset Alcaraz in Canada last summer, and almost did it again in Cincinnati.
