Andy Murray vs. James Duckworth Wimbledon Odds and Prediction: Will Murray Cruise in the Opening Round?

Andy Murray vs. James Duckworth Wimbledon Odds and Prediction: Will Murray Cruise in the Opening Round?

In what should be the First Round match that gets the British crowd most fired up, countryman Andy Murray faces Australian James Duckworth today at the All England Club. Just like many will be glued to watch Serena Williams’ and Rafael Nadal’s opening-round matches to see how fit both former Grand Slam champions are as they deal with injuries, the same goes for Murray. While Murray is not necessarily on upset alert, his matches at Wimbledon are still must-watch television, as it is unique how the home crowd pulls for him.

With Murray’s steep moneyline odds (-590), what is the best way to get value out of his match against Duckworth? Let's dive into my prediction, pick, and the odds for Wimbledon's first-round matchup between Andy Murray and James Duckworth.

Andy Murray vs. James Duckworth Start Time, Where to Watch, and Odds

• Date: June 27, 2022
• Game Time: 12:00 pm ET
• Where to Watch: ESPN, ESPN+

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Andy Murray vs. James Duckworth Prediction

There is not much separating these two in terms of world rankings, as Murray is No. 52 and Duckworth is No. 74. However, each is miles apart in how they play on grass.

Two-time Wimbledon champion Murray has played in just two Wimbledons since his win in 2016, reaching the quarterfinals in 2017 and the third round last year. Murray is a shell of the player he was in 2016 and has been dealing with an abdominal injury entering this tournament, but his play leading up to the Grand Slam event this year has been spectacular. 

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Murray reached the finals at Stuttgart in early June and pushed Wimbledon’s second-favorite, Mateo Berrettini, to a tough three-set match. Murray also showed well at Surbiton, making it all the way to the semifinals. Conversely, Duckworth is 5-13 in his career on grass and has won less than 40% of his sets. 

Murray is 2-0 head-to-head against Duckworth and has won five of their six sets, but both matches were on outdoor hard courts, and the Brit has much more of an advantage on grass. Murray has won the first set in his last 13 matches against righties at Wimbledon and has covered the game spread in each of his previous six ATP First Round matches on grass. However, as opposed to backing Murray’s -5.5 game spread at -155 odds, we prefer the value of -130 odds for him to win in straight sets.

Andy Murray vs. James Duckworth Pick

PICK: Andy Murray to Win 3 Sets to 0 (-130) (Bet $130 to win $100)

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