Wimbledon 2023: Men's singles draw analysis, preview and prediction ft. Potential SF between Novak Djokovic and Jannik Sinner

The men's singles draw for the 2023 Wimbledon Championships has been announced on Friday (June 30).

World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz will lead the field, making the first time since 2003 that one of the Big-4 - Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray - won't be the top seed. Among the famed quartet, Federer has retired, while Nadal is out with injury.

Four-time defending champion Novak Djokovic is the top seed in the bottom half of the draw and will look for more Wimbledon and tennis history. Meanwhile, two-time champion Andy Murray is just outside the seeds after falling early at Queen's two weeks ago.

Without further ado, here's a look at a quarter-wise analysis of the draw, the top four seeded players and dark horse in each quarter, and the expected quarterfinal lineup at this year's Wimbledon Championships.

1st Quarter: Carlos Alcaraz to meet Holger Rune in last eight

Seeded players: (1) Carlos Alcaraz, (6) Holger Rune, (10) Frances Tiafoe, (15) Alex de Minaur

Dark horse: Matteo Berrettini

Top seed Carlos Alcaraz launches his bid for a maiden Grand Slam title on grass against Jeremy Chardy. He's a relative greenhorn on grass but is coming off his first title on the surface at Queen's a week ago.

Nineteenth seed Alexander Zverev and 15th seed Alex de Minaur are possible fourth-round opponents before a last-eight clash with sixth seed Holger Rune, who's having a good season.

Frances Tiafoe, coming off a win at Stuttgart, lurks in Alcaraz's quarter of the draw. The American has won two titles this year, one of them on grass, and could be a handful if he goes deep. The big-serving Zverev is another dangerous player in the section.

Elsewhere, 2021 Wimbledon finalist Matteo Berrettini is in this quarter as well, but the Italian, coming off a long injury layoff, will have to play well to get going. Thankfully, he has proven grasscourt pedigree that might come in handy.

Expected quarterfinal: Alcaraz to beat Rune

2nd Quarter: Daniil Medvedev faces tough road to quarterfinal

Seeded players: (3) Daniil Medvedev, (5) Stefanos Tstisipas, (12) Cameron Norrie, (16) Tommy Paul

Dark horse: Andy Murray

Third seed Daniil Medvedev is the top seed in the second quarter, but grass has never been the Russian's forte.

The 2023 match wins leader (41 wins) has lost three of his last five matches but is coming off a quarterfinal run at Halle. He opens his Wimbledon campaign against British wildcard Arthur Fery.

This is a fairly loaded section of the draw, with Grand Slam winners aplenty, none more so than two-time Wimbledon champion Andy Murray. The 36-year-old skipped Roland Garros to prepare for grass, winning the Surbiton and Nottingham Challengers. However, an early exit at Queen's meant he wasn't ranked high enough to be a seed, but expect him to make a deep run at his home Grand Slam.

Milos Raonic, 2016 finalist, and 2020 US Open winner Dominic Thiem also lurk in this section of the draw. While Thiem has never been beyond the fourth round at Wimbledon, Raonic - returning to action for the first time in nearly two years - has proven grasscourt prowess.

Not to mention the consistent Stefanos Tsitsipas, who's having another steady if not spectacular season. The Greek has 32 wins this year, but a 1-3 run on grass in 2023 doesn't inspire much confidence.

Expected quarterfinal: Medvedev to beat Murray

3rd Quarter: Can Casper Ruud make his Grand Slam breakthrough on grass?

Seeded players: (4) Casper Ruud, (8) Jannik Sinner, (9) Taylor Fritz, (13) Borna Coric

Dark horse: Yannick Hanfmann

This is the only section of the draw without a Grand Slam singles champion, but it's not short of quality players and dangerous floaters.

Fourth seed Casper Ruud leads this section. Although he hasn't made much of a splash on grass, the 24-year-old Norwegian has played his best tennis at Grand Slams recently and looks primed for a deep run. He opens his campaign against Argentine Juan Manuel Cerundolo.

However, lurking in his path are eighth seed Jannik Sinner and ninth seed Taylor Fritz, both of whom reached the Wimbledon quarterfinals last year, losing in five sets. Expect them to embark on similar runs this year, too.

13th seed Borna Coric and 24th seed Denis Shapovalov also lurk in this section of the draw and could cause some damage. Nevertheless, expect the top two seeds in the section to reach the last eight.

Expected quarterfinal: Sinner to beat Ruud

4th Quarter: Novak Djokovic the man to beat as he eyes 8th Wimbledon title

Seeded players: (2) Novak Djokovic, (7) Andrey Rublev, (11) Felix Auger-Aliassime, (14) Lorenzo Musetti

Dark horse: Nick Kyrgios

Four-time defending champion Novak Djokovic might not be the top seed, as many expected him to be, but that doesn't make him any less dangerous.

Like in most years, the 36-year-old arrives at Wimbledon without a grasscourt appearance on the season. However, Djokovic is undoubtedly the man to beat in this section and perhaps the entire draw.

Looking to become the first man to win 24 Grand Slam singles titles in the Open Era and a record-equalling eighth at Wimbledon, the Serb opens his campaign against Pedro Cachin.

Seventh seed Andrey Rublev, Halle champion Alexander Bublik and 2021 Wimbledon semifinalist Hubert Hurkacz are some dangerous players in this section of the draw.

Of course, there's the returning Nick Kyrgios, who made the final last year and is one of the toughest players to face on grass. Then there's three-time Grand Slam winner Stan Wawrinka, who is also a two-time quarterfinalist at Wimbledon. However, neither man is expected to make the last eight this time.

Expected quarterfinal: Djokovic to beat Rublev