Second-round action at the Wimbledon Championships wraps up on Thursday and the order of play is headlined by a marquee matchup on the men’s side between Jakub Mensik and Grigor Dimitrov.
This is the kind of matchup you would expect to see later in the tournament – not in the second round. Due to time away from the game because of physical problems, however, Dimitrov is unseeded at the season’s third Grand Slam and was left at the mercy of the draw.
It did the Bulgarian no favors by pitting him against Mensik in the round of 64. The 20-year-old is ranked No. 18 and made a run to the French Open semifinals last month. Mensik is already a champion at Masters 1000 level, too, after defeating Novak Djokovic in the 2025 Miami final.
Let’s take a look at the odds and the best bets to make in advance of this showdown between Mensik and Dimitrov.
Jakub Mensik vs. Grigor Dimitrov betting picks and predictions
Jakub Mensik ML (-200)
Dimitrov has been plagued by injuries throughout his career, and his most recent struggles began at this same tournament 12 months ago.
Leading eventual champion Jannik Sinner by two sets to love in the fourth round, Dimitrov out of the blue suffered a torn pectoral muscle while serving. It forced him to retire from the match and left him on the sidelines until October.
The 35-year-old played only one more match the rest of that season and he did not advance more than one round at another main-tour tournament until last week’s grass-court event in Mallorca (won two matches and then lost to eventual champion Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the quarterfinals).
Dimitrov arrived in London with just a 4-9 record for the season and no wins over anybody in the top 50. The latter statistic still applies, as Dimitrov’s first-round opponent on Monday was world No. 127 Dane Sweeny.
Mensik’s game is tailor made for grass. The Czech wields one of the best serves in the sport, he hits very flat from the baseline off both wings – especially with his backhand – and is comfortable at the net. All of those attributes are favorable for effective grass-court tennis.
Over 40.5 games (-120)
Dimitrov should, however, be able to make this contest competitive. The former world No. 3 is an absolute force on grass, with 55 match victories on it throughout his career – including the Queen’s Club title in 2014.
Dimitrov is a former Wimbledon semifinalist (2014) and has reached the fourth round in each of his three previous trips to this event.
Meanwhile, Mensik has played just 16 grass-court matches in his young career – winning seven of them and losing nine. The No. 15 seed needed a fifth-set tiebreaker to outlast world No. 123 Toby Samuel on Tuesday – a battle that featured 52 total games and lasted three hours and 33 minutes.
Speaking of thrilling matches, Mensik and Dimitrov have faced each other on two previous occasions and both encounters went to deciding sets. Mensik prevailed both times – 6-2, 6-7(4), 6-3 at the 2024 Madrid Masters and 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 at the Shanghai Masters.
It’s also worth noting that margins at grass-court events are generally a lot smaller than they are in other situations, so tiebreakers are frequently required to decide sets.
As such, a four-set match should be able to exceed a 40.5 number – and a five-setter would obviously be a lock to go over the total.
Over 5.5 service breaks (-110)
This play correlates nicely with Over 40.5 games, as a longer match naturally gives each player more opportunities to break serve.
When these two men faced each other in Madrid, there were five breaks and 15 total break points in three sets. In the Shanghai rematch, there were five breaks and 19 total break points in three sets.
Nine breaks took place in Mensik’s first-round meeting with Samuel, while Dimitrov earned five breaks by himself against Sweeny. Although both guys serve well, they are also fantastic returners. Asking for at least six breaks in this match should not be too much.
Jakub Mensik vs. Grigor Dimitrov odds
Jakub Mensik | -200 |
Grigor Dimitrov | +162 |
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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
