After a 9/4 winner on day three, Andy Schooler is back to preview Thursday’s action at Wimbledon 2026.
Today's Wimbledon tips: Thursday July 2
1pt Grigor Dimitrov to beat Jakub Mensik at 7/4 (BOYLE Sports)
1pt over 39.5 games in Matteo Berrettini v Arthur Fils at 10/11 (bet365, William Hill, 888sport)
Jakub Mensik v Grigor Dimitrov
Dimitrov’s price of 7/4 immediately caught the eye here.
He’s the player with all the grasscourt experience – the Bulgarian once beat Andy Murray en route to the semi-finals in SW19 and while that was more than a decade ago, it should be remembered he was on the brink of beating eventual champion Jannik Sinner here last year before injury struck.
That pectoral tear is the reason his odds are so high – Dimitrov has struggled since his return and is, admittedly, low on wins in 2026.
However, grass has always been a domain he's happy in, and he eased through the first round with a straight-sets win over Dane Sweeny. He served 23 aces and won 85% of points behind his first serve.
Afterwards he said he “couldn’t be happier” now he’s back fit and playing on such a stage, while he was particularly appreciative of the fact organisers had reserved him a wild card after what happened a year ago. He looks determined to repay that faith and make the most of his chance.
Mensik had to battle to get past British wild card Toby Samuel in his opener, requiring a final-set tie-break to progress. He was struggling with cramp and an arm issue at times.
Despite that win, Mensik still holds a career losing record on grass (7-9).
The Czech has won both previous meetings with Dimitrov but each match (played on a hardcourt) went to a final set.
On the grass, I’d expect the strong Dimitrov slice to cause his 6ft 5in opponent problems though and, at the price, I think the underdog is well worth backing.
Matteo Berrettini v Arthur Fils
I’ve backed Berrettini for Wimbledon at big prices on multiple occasions due to his highly impressive grasscourt record – few active players have won as many titles on this surface as the Italian.
However, the problem has always been his physical fitness – on more than one occasion my ante-post bet has been undermined by an injury.
I’m not on him this year but the same thing appeared to have happened when his good run at the recent French Open ended due to a hip problem.
However, he made it to the start line in SW19 and on Tuesday he posted a four-set win over Stan Wawrinka.
That match highlighted both Berrettini’s strengths and weaknesses.
On serve, he was predictably dominant, slamming down 29 aces, winning 86% of points behind his first serve and losing his own delivery just the once in four sets.
But his return remains pretty ineffective – he broke Wawrinka only once.
The quality rises here – Fils was one of the players of the first third of the season.
However, he then ran into injury problems of his own and missed the French Open and the grasscourt warm-up events.
He did beat Raphael Collignon in straight sets in his first-round tie but facing Berrettini on this surface will also be a tougher challenge for the rising French star.
Berrettini v Wawrinka produced four tie-breaks and sets here will likely be tight again.
Their only previous match – on a hardcourt in Tokyo in 2024 – saw Berrettini retire after winning the first set on a tie-break and I suspect this will be a contest of few service breaks.
I’d envisage both players being able to edge a set and, if that happens, then over 39.5 games should land. That’s the bet for me here.
Posted 16:40 BST on 01/07/2026
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