Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the ATP Wimbledon match.
The Wimbledon draw has paired an ATP veteran with a debutant in the main draw of a Grand Slam. For Raphaël Collignon, this represents a historic opportunity, while Marin Cilic approaches it as a routine first step in his campaign to go deep in the tournament.
Raphaël Collignon
Collignon makes his Wimbledon main draw debut. The Belgian has played just two career grass-court matches and hasn't competed since May due to a Hamburg tournament injury. This season, Raphaël has recorded 14 wins from 24 matches — though mostly at Challenger level, where his stats remain modest (64% first serves in, averaging five double faults per match).
Marin Cilic
Cilic arrives in strong form, having claimed the Nottingham Challenger title with wins over Lloyd Harris and Shintaro Mochizuki. The Croatian has won his Wimbledon first round in straight sets during each of the last three editions. His impressive grass-court record stands at 97 wins against just 34 losses.
Raphaël Collignon vs Marin Cilic Prediction
Given Collignon's lack of match sharpness and Cilic's excellent preparation, we expect a dominant performance from the former finalist.
