Wimbledon Tip: Karlovic v Murray

The ease with which Andy Murray dispatched Davydenko in the opening round may lead some to believe that the British number one is all set to waltz through this first week of Wimbledon. But next up is a much bigger challenge, in every sense of the word.

At 6ft 10in tall, Ivo Karlovic has one of the most fearsome serves in the men’s game and when he gets into the groove, at times, it won’t matter who’s down the other end. The Croatian is 11/10 to win a set with PaddyPower and that has to be seen as more likely than not.

Although Murray has won the three times these two have met before, the matches have tended to be hard-fought. Twice the scoreline has been 2-1 to the Scot and between those clashes four of the six sets went to tie-breaks.

The man known to his fans as ‘Dr Ivo’ has won two of his four ATP titles on grass, both in England, and made the quarter-finals at SW19 in 2009. That’s enough pedigree to suggest that the world number four won’t have everything his own way on Centre Court.