Hardly have we had the time to dust ourselves off from the passing clay season, when Wimbledon sneaks up on us like an old friend we’ve dearly missed for a year.
Dirty socks are swapped for pure white ensembles and finely dimpled shoes, as tennis returns to her home once more for the pièce de résistance.
With the handful of lead-in tournaments coming to an end, it’s time to separate genuine contenders from the pack, and see who will triumph at SW19.
The Favourite
As has been customary for several years now, at every major, Novak Djokovic comes into Wimbledon as the strong favourite. Fresh off his maiden title in Paris and 12th major, the triple-Wimbledon champion has made his customary preparation again, missing the lead in grass tournaments all together.
Such is the confidence and omnipotence of his game, Djokovic uses the early rounds of the tournament as his warm up, and he will be a hard man to stop once again, with few men troubling the Serb on any surface.
Prediction: anything short of winning the title will be a failure.
The Rival
If one man deserves to be named the main threat, it’s Andy Murray. Where Novak seems superhuman, Andy is only freakishly good, and his efforts have been admirable as he tries again and again on tennis’ biggest stages, to usurp the Serb, unsuccessfully.
A heroic French Open run to the finals for the first time has him operating at the peak of his powers, and despite several recently failed attempts at dismantling the Serb in grand slams, he has tasted success in the three-set format. His flat strokes and enviable variety makes his game perfectly suited to the lawn, and having triumphed here in 2013, he knows what it takes to win Wimbledon.
Recently re-igniting partnership with Czech legend Ivan Lendl, the man who took him to US Open, Olympic and Wimbledon success, Murray is primed to launch an inspired assault on the title.
Prediction: a second seeding should see him progress to the semi-finals unscathed, but a player of his calibre will feel short-handed if he finishes his career with only two slams and time is running out for Britain’s great hope.
The Master
Roger Federer has been unusually absent this year, his 34-year-old frame finally showing signs of wear and tear after nearly two decades on the professional circuit. One gets the feeling his withdrawal from Paris was to ensure his health for Wimbledon, the holy grail of his career.
Despite coming in this year without a grass court title under his belt, he will throw everything in his extensive repertoire for a tilt at an eighth(!) Wimbledon victory. If he’s healthy and gets through the early rounds relatively unperturbed, he could find his mojo and be a threat, but two things need to click for the Swiss maestro if he’s to be a genuine contender once more – footwork and serving.
When it’s on, his slow but deadly accurate and disguised serve is still one of the best in the world, and he will need that coupled with movement of a man younger than his age suggests if he’s to make it to the title match once more. Having succumbed the two recent finals to Novak Djokovic, experience will be his friend until he finds form.
For the sake of adding to the spectacle, one can hope he finds himself in the second week, for he truly is the icon of tennis in the 21st century.
Prediction: danger lurks in the early rounds, but a quarter-final appearance should still be made.
The Maple Leaf Missile
Milos Raonic has employed a familiar character of Wimbledon this year in hopes of adding some forecourt prowess to his booming serve and forehand. Serve and volley pin-up John McEnroe has been in the Canadian’s corner, and a runner-up performance at Queens has him in a good position for another deep run on the greens.
A semi-final showing in 2014 shows he has the weaponry, and he’s been the most consistent youngster knocking on the door of tennis’ ‘Big Four’ in recent years. Still, a lack of wins over the elite have many questioning whether he has the complete package required to win a grand slam. A kind draw and improved forecourt game could be the keys to success for Raonic this year.
Prediction: semi-finals beckon with McEnroe in his corner, and it will take a sublime performance to send him packing any earlier.
Kid Dynamite
If there’s one man, nay, one kid that’s exploded onto the scene in recent years, it’s Nick Kyrgios. The mercurial Australian youngster has gifts that even make the top men gush, and his raw power and shot-making ability make him one of the most entertaining players to watch today.
Perhaps more explosive than his serve and forehand, unfortunately, is his mentality, and he will need to be as disciplined as ever if he is to make a proper go of winning Wimbledon this year. Having made his introduction to the world stage here two years ago, with an epic second-round victory over Richard Gasquet (saving a record nine match points in the process) and fourth-round win over Nadal, the world has been both shocked and awed with his attitude and game.
Several runs to the quarter-finals of slams show he has the potential, but his volatile nature makes any consistent prediction quite hard.
Prediction: the grass suits his powerful game and a better seeding this year should give him a shot at a second week showing. Quarter-finals again.
Danger men
Dominic Thiem
A newly-minted top ten player, and fresh off a semi-final run in Paris, Thiem is more comfortable with clay under his feet than grass, but he’s shown he has what it takes with a title performance in Stuttgart two weeks ago.
Second only to Djokovic this year in tour wins, the Austrian comes into Wimbledon with a second-round showing as his best result, but expect far more this year.
Tomas Berdych
A 2010 Wimbledon finalist and long-time top ten occupant, Berdych has perhaps underperformed throughout his career given his gifts. At 6’5″ with legs like a power lifter, the Czech commands easy power from all facets of the game. A second-week showing is often achieved, sometimes at the expense of a top player.
Jo-Wilfred Tsonga
Tsonga is truly at his most dangerous across the ditch from his native France. Like Berdych, he possesses incredible power from his serve and forehand, but also has the ability to bravely venture forward and provide breathtaking displays at the net.
The only man to defeat Roger Federer from two sets to love down at Wimbledon, Tsonga will be hoping for another deep run in search of his first grand slam victory.
Dark horses
Grigor Dimitrov
What on earth has happened to ‘Baby Fed’? A former top ten player and semi-finalist of Wimbledon, Dimitrov has the style and experience required to make a title run. Unfortunately, his game seems in disarray and his confidence shot to pieces. Nevertheless, talent oozes from the Bulgarian, and with a few wins under his belt he could be hard to stop with no pressure.
Bernard Tomic
The most peculiar player in recent memory, Tomic seems indifferent to his current performances, instead seeming to have a deep-seeded confidence in his abilities when required. His transition from clay to grass has been starkly contrasted, as his dicey, bunty style provides plenty of trouble for opponents. A quarter-final showing as a tender teenager in 2011 will have him on the radar as trouble for most players.
Stan Wawrinka
Perhaps unfairly cast as a dark horse, but Stan Wawrinka’s lack of fast court success means he is hard to predict. Back-to-back quarter-final showings make him an attractive punt for the bettors.
Long shots
Marin Cilic – 2014 US open, anyone? John Isner – who can serve his way to the second week.
Richard Gasquet – perennial second-week visitor, but lacks the weapons to win it all. David Goffin – a form player in 2016, yet his abysmal record against the top ten will have many doubt he has a slam waiting for him.
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