As the second round of men’s action begins at Wimbledon, two of the top eight men and a former top-10 star face tests from enigmatic foes.

Novak Djokovic v. Radek Stepanek

When the draw was originally unveiled, all eyes were on the potential matchups for Rafael Nadal early in the tournament. While Nadal does have some dangerous players in his section of the draw, Novak Djokovic knows his second-round matchup is as tough as it gets in the first week.

Despite having lost to Djokovic 10 out of the 11 times they’ve played, including at Wimbledon in 2012, Stepanek has the type of game that can disrupt and threaten the top players, especially on grass. He brings to the court a style of play that traditionalists love and 21st-century baseliners dread. The trademark attribute of Stepanek’s game is his willingness to move forward and end points at the net. His chances of outdueling Djokovic from the baseline are slim to none. As a result, he’ll have to serve and volley or chip and charge from start to finish. Djokovic’s magnificent returning and defensive skills will be sure to provide Stepanek with lots of low, spin-infused passing shots for him to deal with at the net.

Djokovic’s primary objective in this match will be to maintain depth off the ground. Stepanek takes the ball flat and early and loves to move in behind anything relatively short, so if Djokovic is able to keep him pinned on the baseline, being aggressive and getting to the net starts to become a low-percentage tactic.

Prediction: Djokovic in four sets

Bernard Tomic v. Tomas Berdych

These men played in the fourth round of Wimbledon last year. Berdych was pushed in this encounter but was able to dispose of his Aussie challenger in four tight sets.

Tomic is still trying to pick up the pieces after the first part of his season abruptly ended in the first round of the Australian Open with a hip injury that eventually required surgery. He won his opening-round matches at Queen’s Club and Eastbourne and got through his first-round match at Wimbledon unscathed, defeating Evgeny Donskoy in straight sets. In his first match, Berdych required four sets to get past Victor Hanescu after dropping the opening set in a tiebreak.

The task for Tomic in this match will be to keep Berdych off balance and to take away any sense of rhythm. Berdych is one of the supreme ball-strikers on tour but can struggle when he is forced to create his own pace and when he is pulled from the center of the court. Tomic will need to work the sidelines and use his flat groundstrokes in tandem with his slice backhand to keep the ball out of Berdych’s strike zone.

Tomic’s game falls apart when he becomes too reactionary and overly dispirited. Look for Berdych to push Tomic around with his powerful groundstrokes and get out to a fast lead in the hopes of sapping Tomic’s energy and motivation.

Prediction: Berdych in four sets

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga v. Sam Querrey

This match should do a satisfactory job of highlighting the ills of American men’s tennis. Querrey and Tsonga are somewhat similar players. Both of them unload on their serves and forehands but possess mediocre backhands at best. Erratic shot-making and poor decisions have haunted both men in big matches.

Unfortunately for Querrey, and most American players, this is where the similarities end. Tsonga’s fine movement, footwork, and versatility give him infinitely more options on the court. He’s able to create more shots for himself from the baseline, turn defense into offense, and establish traction with his transition game. Querrey is just a decent mover for his size, doesn’t make too many ventures forward, and plays minimal defense.

Feeling out the grass should be of no concern for either man. Tsonga rallied from two sets to one down in his opening-round match against Jurgen Melzer, and Querrey rallied from a set down to take out fellow countryman Bradley Klahn.

Unless Querrey plays a truly special match from the baseline, Tsonga’s all-court game should win out Wednesday.

Prediction: Tsonga in four sets