The wait is finally over for tennis fans. Tennis is about to kick off on the lush green grass courts of Wimbledon and fans can expect two weeks of non-stop action from their favorite players. The usual tradition will follow with defending champion Carlos Alcaraz opening the day’s play on Centre Court. However, the initial rounds are all about the matches that take place on the outside courts!

With grass court season occupying barely a month in tennis calender, Wimbledon is prone to a number of upsets in the first week. Certain top seeds who excel on other surfaces struggle to get going on grass. Therefore, we are bound to witness some unexpected results on Day 1 of Wimbledon, but who are the seeds on upset alert?

Five Seeded Players on Upset Alert for Day 1:

1. Casper Ruud

Despite three slam finals to his name, Ruud hasn’t shown enough grass court pedigree over the years. The Norwegian has failed to make it past the round 2 of Wimbledon in his career. Having won only 40% of his career matches on grass, he clearly doesn’t like the surface. Moreover, his opponent, Alex Bolt has been through qualifications and registered some crucial wins on grass this month.

2. Frances Tiafoe

Tiafoe’s downhill form is no news to tennis fans. He hasn’t been in the business end of tournaments since last year’s US Open. To add to his misery, he suffered a nasty fall in the recently concluded Queen’s Club Championships event. Coming up against Matteo Arnaldi with his current form and fitness is going to be an uphill task for the American.

3. Nicolas Jarry

Jarry is usually known for his clay-court heroics, however, he did stun fans by giving Carlos Alcaraz a run for his money at last year’s Wimbledon. Nevertheless, his early French Open exit, followed by him opting out of participation on grass court events, puts question mark on his form. Drawing against a power-hitter and former semi-finalist Denis Shapovalov will not make things any easy for him.

4. Mariano Navone

Navone’s rise to the top 40 of ATP rankings was marked by his clay court exploits. However, the Argentine has never won a tour level match on grass courts. His strokeplay and reliance on heavy topspin forehand do not suit the surface by any means. Moreover, he is drawn against an experienced Lorenzo Sonego who has also won a title on this surface.

5. Sebastian Baez

Much like Navone, Baez is another excellent clay courter who has shown little grass court pedigree. With only 3 career victories on this surface, his chances look bleak. Despite the recent entry into the ATP top 20, he failed to win matches at Eastbourne and Queen’s this year. His opponent Brandon Nakashima is much more established on grass courts and will most likely trigger the upset.