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Brandon Wampler's Wimbledon DFS Picks for Day 1 on 7/3/23. His top daily fantasy tennis players in cash games and tournaments.
Welcome to “The Slam”! This is the home for all Tennis as we welcome Wimbledon. Unlike regular Tour matches for ATP, Grand Slam matches are a BO5, however, the WTA matches will remain a BO3 and will be scored appropriately to equal that of the ATP.
The top two favorites from both ATP and WTA are Goffin -4000 & Sinner -3500 and Vekic -750 & Kasatkina -750. I will guide you on Day One of Wimbledon starting at 9:15 A.M. EST.
If you have any questions on today's slate, bankroll management, GPP strategy, Cash game strategy, or anything else, don’t hesitate to email me at [email protected], via Twitter @df_solutions, or in our Discord chat rooms.
High-Salary Players $9K+
Jannik Sinner - DK $11.6K | ATP Rank: 8
Opponent - Juan Manuel Cerundolo | ATP Rank: 111
Outside of David Goffin – mentioned later –, Jannik Sinner will be the most sought-after player on opening day of the Wimbledon and for various reasons. Sinner is World Number Eight on the ATP Tour and he leads a strong list of Italian players too. The youngster has dropped some questionable matches lately, Daniel Altmaier at the French Open being the biggest question mark. However, his matchup to kickstart Wimbledon could be played blindfolded and he would still dominate. JM Cerundolo has not won a single non-qualifying match since March and it was on clay. His only grass match was a qualifier in Eastbourne where he lost in straights to Skander Mansouri. Many would be astonished if Sinner does not cover the current -10.5 game spread on most markets. DFS players will need to get crafty to fit him into lineups, although he will pay massive dividends as one of the highest scores on the slate.
Belinda Bencic - DK $9K | ATP Rank: 14
Opponent - Katie Swan | ATP Rank: 147
With all of the available options in this range, Bencic should be overlooked at the sheer fact that she has yet to play a grass-court match this season. Her opponent Katie Swan, however, has been playing since the start of June and almost claimed an ITF title in Surbiton before losing in a deciding set. Despite Swan’s recent form, her only true opponent from the WTA Tour was Tatiana Maria who she beat in a deciding set, otherwise, she has yet to match up to a serious tour player. For her first grass match of the season, this lines up perfectly for Bencic. The former number five has all of the tools necessary to make another run at challenging current number one, Iga Swiatek. It would be very surprising if Bencic drops her first grass court match on the biggest stage.
Others To Consider (Cash/GPP): Kasatkina (DK $10.8K), Coric (DK $9.6K)
Mid-Salary Players $7.5K to $8.9K
Elina Svitolina - DK $8.7K | ATP Rank: 76
Opponent - Venus Williams | ATP Rank: 558
Venus has returned to Tour play and it has been anything but what she expected. The WTA legend has had numerous ongoing injury struggles and it has hampered her movement and play in general. On a fast surface like grass, it makes things much more challenging with a nursing injury. This duo also has a history where Venus has won just once and it was their first-ever match in Rome in 2015 where she won in straights. Since then, Svitolina has won once on clay at the French Open in 2019 and twice on hard – Toronto in 2017 and US Open in 2019 –. Svitolina is coming into this match with a bit less grass exposure than what Williams has which could pose some risk, but very little when considering the opponent. With many questionable plays in this range, Svitolina is sure to see 20-plus percent ownership.
Tomas Martin Etcheverry - DK $8.4K | ATP Rank: 32
Opponent - Bernabe Zapata Miralles | ATP Rank: 53
This match isn’t exactly the clearest of them all, however, we need to make some bold calls in a very wishy-washy $8K range. When assessing the play of both players prior to grass season, Etcheverry was miles ahead of BZM. Since Grass started Etcheverry has one match under his belt where he lost in straights to JJ Wolf and Zapata Miralles has two matches where he lost in straights to both Taylor Harry Fritz and Lloyd Harris. Furthermore, BZM’s performance in the Harris loss was anything but inspiring with the Spaniard reaching for several returns instead of moving his feet and looking mediocre at best. This is the first meeting between these two. On the ATP side, BZM possesses the fifth-worst Aces Against Percentage with a staggering 16.4 percent. If Etcheverry loses this match, it will be on his own accord.
Others To Consider (CASH/GPP): Ymer (DK $8.5K), Harris (DK $7.5K)
Low-Salary Players <$7.5K
David Goffin - DK $6.8K | ATP Rank: 123
Opponent - Fabian Marozsan | ATP Rank: 96
We have incredible news! Unfortunately, Nick Kyrgious has withdrawn from Wimbledon due to a wrist injury sustained within the last two weeks. However, lucky loser Fabian Marozsan is now set to play David Goffin which is astonishingly amazing! Goffin who was priced for a matchup with Kyrgios is now the overwhelming favorite for all lineups on the opening day of Wimbledon 2023. Marozsan has played three total matches on grass this year, all qualifiers and he is 2-1. As a clay court player, he plays more methodically, however, he will not have the time to think on a faster grass court surface. This will play further into the hands of Goffin who aims to run away with this match. Goffin should see a minimum of 40 percent ownership in ‘CASH’ contests.
Jodie Anna Burrage - DK $5.6K | ATP Rank: 108
Opponent - Caty McNally | ATP Rank: 67
IF and a big IF at that, Burrage is to win this match, she could potentially break the slate. For those that do not follow tennis closely, Burrage has had a plethora of obstacles to face as she paved her name into the WTA Tour – personal and injury-related –. However, she now states that she has a clear mind and can finally focus on her career and her jump up the rankings. She has proven herself many times in her career and most recently made it to the Nottingham final and lost in straights to Katie Boulter. She also gave Coco Gauff a run for her money just recently at Eastbourne before making a few critical errors that cost the match. Cat McNally is no slouch of an opponent, but she has struggled recently against lesser opponents than that of Burrage. If Burrage can gain momentum early, she could run away with the match.
Others To Consider (CASH/GPP): Masarova (DK $7.4K), Halys (DK $7.3K)
Thanks for reading The Slam. Good luck in all of your contests today!
