Wimbledon 2015: Top 5 matches to watch on Day 1

The 2015 Wimbledon is about to get underway in London and there are many exciting matches to look forward to on the first day of competition.

Defending champion and World No. 1 Novak Djokovic will take center court against Philipp Kohlschreiber, while women’s World No. 1 Serena Williams will start her campaign against Russia’s Margarita Gasparyan.

Here are 5 matches you can’t afford to miss!

5. Jarkko Nieminen Vs Lleyton Hewitt

Lleyton Hewitt will be playing in his last Wimbledon this year. He takes on Finn Jarkko Nieminen in the opening round.

Both men are coming off losses to the Championships. While Hewitt was sent packing by big serving Kevin Anderson at the Queen’s club, Nieminen lost to young German Alexander Zverev in Halle. Hewitt will not want to end his Wimbledon career with a first round loss. The 2002 champion has fond memories here and goes into the match as favorite.

The Austrlaian leads 5-0 against Nieminen with two of those coming at two Grand Slams – US Open (2005) and French Open (2007).

This match could be a close one.

Match Time: Around 6 p.m IST.

4. Leonardo Mayer Vs Thanasi Kokkinakis

This match up between a veteran in Leonardo Mayer against an upcoming Australian youngster Thanasi Kokkinakis will be an entertaining one. Mayer has played several times here and holds the edge over Kokkinakis, but the Australian has improved his game trmendously over the last year.

Mayer, who was the No. 2 seed in Nottingham lost to Denis Istomin in a closely contested quarterfinal. Kokkinakis on the other hand lost to Gilles Simon at the Queen’s club. Expect Kokkinakis to put up a sten fight and even score an upset win over his seeded opponent.

This is the first meeting between the two players.

Match Time: 4 p.m IST.

3. Simone Bolelli Vs Kei Nishikori

World No. 5 Kei Nishikori hasn’t had a great preparation for Wimbledon after retiring in his match against Andreas Seppi in Halle with a calf injury. Simone Bolelli made it to the quarterfinals at Nottingham before losing to Marcos Baghdatis in straight sets.

The two have faced each other only once - third round of Wimbledon 2014. This match was a humdinger with the Japanese winning it in five sets after being 2 sets to 1 down.

It will be interesting to see if Nishikori has completely recovered from his injury as he looks to progress tomorrow.

Match Time: Around 7 p.m IST.

2. Madison Brengle Vs Venus Williams

Five-time champion Venus Williams would like to start her campaign at Wimbledon in positive fashion after losing in the first round of the French Open to Sloane Stephens. The elder Williams sister hasn’t player hasn’t played any warm up tournament ahead of the Championships. Her opponent Madison Brengle lost at Eastbourne last week, but the young American possesses the game to unsettle Venus in the first round.

The two haven’t played each other before.

Match Time: Around 9:30 p.m IST.

1. Novak Djokovic Vs Philipp Kohlschreiber

Defending champion Novak Djokovic has a tough opener against German Philipp Kohlschreiber. The World No. 1 has played only a couple of exhibition matches at the Boodles as preparation for wimbledon after a tough loss to Stan Wawrinka in the French Open finals.

His opponent Kohlschreiber lost to Roger Federer at Halle in three tight sets. The German played in Stuttgart as well, where he lost to Gael Monfils in the last eight.

The duo have played on seven occasions with the Serb leading the rivalry 6-1. The German’s only win over Djokovic came in the third round at the French Open in 2009. This should be an intriguing match with Kohlschreiber testing Djokovic in the early goings.

Match Time: 5:30 p.m IST.