Four wins from a second Serena Slam, the world No. 1 faces an all too familiar opponent on Manic Monday. In men’s action, former finalist Tomas Berdych will need to stay patient against a persistent French counterpuncher.

Serena Williams vs. Venus Williams

The unofficial “greatest day in tennis” is set with all men's and women's fourth-round matches ready to be played on Monday.  Many look interesting, while others look lopsided.  But there is one match that might best be described as “familiar.”  More than a decade ago, Venus and Serena Williams were dominating the game and regularly battling each other for the most prestigious titles in the sport.  As sisters, they have been friends and foes with each other more than they have with any other player on tour, and they will face each other once again with a berth in the Wimbledon quarterfinals at stake.

Since this is the 26th meeting between the two, there is not much to say about this match-up that has not already been said.  There are no secrets, and there is very little to choose between them.  Serena leads their head-to-head at 14-11 and holds the slight advantage at this tournament 3-2.  The vast majority of their encounters have been tight affairs, however, and each has won five Wimbledon singles crowns.  No doubt each of these women will be eager to break that tie by grabbing the victory Monday and moving within three matches of a sixth Wimbledon title.

Although Venus can match Serena's pace of shot, most people would probably give Serena more favorable odds of advancing in this match.  She has the better serve, especially when it comes to her second delivery, and she is more technically sound off the ground, particularly off her forehand wing.  But the grass is a bit of an equalizer in this scenario.  The lower bounce tends to help the consistency of the Venus forehand, and she does have greater reach and variety in the forecourt.  Assuming she avoids giving the younger Williams too many looks at a second serve or outright donating double faults, Venus should be able to put herself in a decent position to regularly move forward and control a fair share of what is happening on the court.

But while each of these women will fiercely be battling for control of the points, the bigger battle will be which one of them can better control her emotions.  Venus has done well to climb back into the top 20, but she remains a player whom many people have written off as far as garnering another major singles title.  If she is ever to taste such glory again, though, it is most likely to come at this venue.  She knows it, as does Serena, and some have questioned how Serena might feel about stopping what could be her sister's last good look at a major title. 

Of course, some have wondered if thoughts along similar lines might be running through Venus’ mind.  As the top seed and current No. 1, the bulk of the pressure is already on Serena to emerge victorious in this match.  She has also enjoyed more success than Venus these last few years and has suffered only one defeat this season.  But she comes into this encounter knowing she lost her last meeting with Venus, which came nearly a year ago in Canada.  She also enters this match with the knowledge that she remains in strong contention to achieve the calendar-year Grand Slam.  Venus is aware of this as well, which is why questions have arisen as to whether or not if push comes to shove Venus has the heart to be the player to end her sister's chance at achieving such a rare feat.

Both Venus and Serena clearly have their reasons for striving to come out the winner on Monday and just as many reasons to have mixed feelings about wanting to do so.  It will be an emotional match, and if history is any indication, a tight one as well.  The only certainty is that someone with the surname Williams is going to find herself in the quarterfinals of Wimbledon.

Tomas Berdych vs. Gilles Simon

The second week of Wimbledon is about to kick off with “Manic Monday,” which means that the excitement level has just gone up a notch.  It also means that there is an increased amount of speculation pertaining to potential quarterfinal and semifinal showdowns.  One of the more popular projections pits Roger Federer against Tomas Berdych, but like the predictions and projections made in Week 1, there is no guarantee that this match will come to fruition.  Berdych will first have to get through Gilles Simon if he hopes to hold up his end of the bargain.

To some extent, it is easy to see why people are already penciling Berdych into the quarterfinals.  He has had a very consistent season thus far, reaching the quarterfinals or better at most of the tournaments that he has entered.  He appears to be mentally stronger now than he has been at any other point in his career, and as a result, he has looked increasingly more like a challenger to the Big Four.  In addition to that, he is a former Wimbledon finalist, and he has been to the latter stages of Grand Slams on multiple occasions.

Simon has not been competing at quite the same level as the Czech, but he has still been relatively solid.  He has reached the round of 16 or better at most events in 2015 and even secured a title with his run in Marseille.  He has also been to his share of second weeks at the majors, although unlike Berdych, he has only ever escaped the fourth round of a Grand Slam on one occasion.  Given how his results compare to the Czech's, it is no wonder the sixth seed is favored to get through this contest.

For all that Berdych regularly plays at a higher level than the Frenchman, however, this could easily be a match that comes down to the wire.  Both men have been made to work to get to this point and are battle ready.  Berdych is the more imposing player.  He possesses easy power and can go big off both wings, which means he is going to have more opportunities to dictate play.  With his more powerful serve, he should also enjoy an advantage when it comes to digging himself out of trouble whenever necessary.  But what Simon lacks in power, he makes up for with speed.  He is one of the quickest players on tour and is remarkably consistent when hitting on the run.  He can be very much like facing a backboard, while at other times he will slow-ball an opponent before unloading with explosive shot-making. 

When at his best, Simon's style of play can be very troubling for some players, and Berdych has fallen victim to him more than once in the past.  In fact, it is the Frenchman who actually leads their head-to-head 6-4, so he can be assured that this is a winnable match.  Additionally, Simon is only ranked seven spots below the Czech, so he will not be intimidated by him.  Furthermore, Simon is the underdog, and therefore freer to swing away.  Berdych is going to have shoulder the bulk of the expectations and do so knowing that he is likely to be asked to hit multiple extra balls against the speedy Simon.  But if Berdych plays within himself and remains patient, he is going to be in the better position to control proceedings.  He should also remember that this is less familiar territory for the 12th seed than it is for him.  So even if he gets down, it is imperative that he continue to make Simon play, since the magnitude of the moment is more likely to affect Simon than Berdych.

Of course, neither player will be completely immune to the situation.  Berdych will have to deal with the pressure of being the favorite and Simon shrinking the court, while Simon must fend off the powerful groundstrokes of the Czech and find the belief that he can cross a hurdle he has only ever managed to get over once in his career.  Berdych has to be considered the favorite to get through, but he is by no means the lock that so many are ready to deem him.