Few tournaments in the sporting world are as devoted to preserving tradition as The Championships, Wimbledon. The main events there are still called Gentlemen’s and Ladies’ Singles. Players must still bow or curtsey to the Prince of Wales and the Queen. They must still wear primarily white outfits. Female players are still referred to as Miss or Mrs. And, most important, the tournament is still played on grass, making it the only Grand Slam that is still home to what was once understood as “lawn” tennis.
This is why the All England Club’s decision to move back the tournament by a week starting this year, to allow players more time to recover after the gruelling clay court season, feels cataclysmic. Not only does it signal a willingness to break from inconvenient traditions, but it could prove to be, quite literally, a game-changer.
This year, players have had an extra week to make the transition from clay to grass, and prepare themselves for what is arguably the most coveted title in tennis. Experts and players both point out that in recent years, the grass courts at Wimbledon have slowed down enough to not make them as drastically different from clay as in the past. Still, for some, the extra week of rest and practice might make all the difference.
On the eve of this year’s championships, here’s a look at the top singles contenders and what’s at stake for them. First up, the Gentlemen’s Singles.
Novak Djokovic
The undisputed world number one is also the defending champion. But Djokovic was gutted not to have won the French Open this year despite beating old rival Rafa Nadal in the quarters. He was desperately hoping to complete the career Grand Slam (all four Slam titles) in Paris and his crushing defeat at the hands of Stan Wawrinka reduced him to tears after the match.
Significantly, unlike the other players, he did not compete in any of the warm-up grass court tournaments these past three weeks, which may have hurt his chances a little. Add to this an incredibly tough draw – he is to face hard-hitting German Philip Kohlschrieber in Round 1, followed possibly by Leyton Hewitt, Aussie Bernard Tomic, and grass court specialist Kevin Anderson. If he makes it past them all, he will find Wawrinka waiting for him in the semis. It will be a huge effort even for Djokovic if he were to lift the champion’s trophy two weeks from now.
Our Prediction: Finalist.
Roger Federer
You can never count the legend out, especially at Wimbledon where he won his last Grand Slam title in 2012. But at age 33, it’s fair to say that this might be Federer’s last legitimate shot at adding another one to his record haul. Last weekend, he won the warm up event at Halle for the eighth time, and he has been blessed with a good draw at Wimbledon this year. Expect him to sail through the early rounds, until he comes up against Tomas Berdych in the quarter finals, against whom he lost in 2010.
Our Prediction: Loses to Berdych in semifinal.
Andy Murray
The monkey came off his back in 2013 when he became the first British man to win Wimbledon since Fred Perry in 1936. The pressure on Murray in his home tournament will always be enormous, but he’s used to it now and knows what it’s like to win Slams. He won the warm up at Queens Club last week, and looks to be in the best form of all the top players.
Murray has a fairly simple draw until the fourth round where he should meet Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, a very dangerous opponent on grass. If he gets through that round, he might meet Nadal in the quarters and Federer in the semis. Even so, he has an excellent chance of making it to the final and also winning the title this year. It would be a terrific baby shower gift for pregnant coach Amelie Mauresmo.
Our Prediction: Champion.
Rafael Nadal
It sounds unbelievable, but nine players are seeded above the two-time champion. Nine.
His game has never been ideally suited to grass, which makes his two victories here – both following French Open titles – all the more remarkable. In recent years, he has lost early to much lower-ranked players: Lukas Rosol in 2012, Steve Darcis in 2013, and Nick Kyrgios in 2014. Clearly, if he meets a big-serving power hitter early at Wimbledon, he’s in a lot of trouble.
Watching Nadal get hammered by Djokovic on his beloved clay in Paris was not encouraging. However – and with Nadal there’s always a however – he surprised everyone, including, perhaps, himself by winning the warm up in Stuttgart two weeks ago, his first on grass in five years.
At Wimbledon, he meets Thomas Bellucci in the first round and maybe Dustin Brown, who crushed him at Halle last year, in round two. If he gets past these opponents, he has a good chance of reaching the quarters where he will meet Murray.
Our Prediction: Loses early (by round 3).
The Big Four no longer control men’s tennis, as newly crowned French Open champion Wawrinka will hasten to point out. He isn’t too fond of grass but has a big enough game to do well on it, and is soaring on confidence. However, he must also be quite drained after his French Open triumph. If he meets Djokovic in the semi-final, the latter is likely to extract revenge.
I think even three weeks is not a long enough interval for Stan to pull off the double. The other person realistically capable of winning the title this year is Tomáš Berdych, the best player on the men’s side not to have won a Slam. The former finalist has the game and confidence to pull it off here, if he can hold his both his nerve and his serve. The other players to watch out for are Tsonga, Kei Nishikori, and US Open champion Marin Cilic, all of whom are capable of beating absolutely anyone on their day.
What of the Ladies’ Singles?
Serena Williams
If she wins Wimbledon she will complete her personal Serena Slam by holding all four Majors at the same time. She will also be three-quarters through to the real Grand Slam, having already won the Australian and French Open titles this year. At age 33 (the same as Federer,) the 20-time Slam winner shows no signs of slowing down. There is absolutely no reason why she shouldn’t win Wimbledon again this year, unless she suffers a tremendous lack of concentration on a given day. The outcome of the women’s event depends on this woman alone.
Our Prediction: Champion.
Maria Sharapova
Having won both the title and the adoration of cameras around the world at the tender age of 17 in 2004, Sharapova has been unable to match that performance on grass ever since. She has, ironically, become more of a clay court specialist. Even if Sharapova reaches the semfinal, where she is scheduled to meet Serena, she is not going to get past the American whom she hasn’t been able to beat in their last 16 encounters.
Our Prediction: Loses before semifinal.
Petra Kvitova
She has proved to be the best grass court player of her generation. The defending champ will open the ladies’ singles event on Tuesday if she is healthy. Last week, she was forced to withdraw from a warm up tournament in Eastbourne with a virus. But if the virus doesn’t get her, nerves might, as she has admitted to feeling terrible pressure when returning to defend her title. She failed to do so successfully in 2012, but has hopefully gained more experience by now. Still, don’t be surprised if she makes an exit early.
Our Prediction: Loses early.
Venus Williams
The five-time champion can’t be left out of any discussion on Wimbledon, especially since she shares her name with the gorgeous silver salver awarded to the winner of the women’s event. Venus still looks so graceful on the grass, and it is always a joy to watch her play serve and volley tennis in an era of robotic groundstrokes. But, let’s face it, Venus is unlikely to go any further than the fourth round where she is drawn to meet none other than her sister.
Prediction: Loses to Serena in Round 4.
The last few years have seen new Wimbledon finalists on the women’s side: Eugenie Bouchard in 2014, Marion Bartoli and Sabine Lisicky in 2013, Agnieszka Radwanska in 2012. This year, too, we hope to see someone new flourish. Players to watch out for – who can, and probably, will cause upsets – are Lisicky, Tsvetana Pironkova from Bulgaria, Belinda Bencic of Switzerland (who just won Eastbourne,) last year’s semifinalist, America’s Sloane Stephens, and Germany’s Angelique Kerber.
So as 128 men and 128 women make their final preparations for the singles events, let’s get ready to root for our favourites, back the underdogs, and hope that all our predictions are turned upside down.
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This is why the All England Club’s decision to move back the tournament by a week starting this year, to allow players more time to recover after the gruelling clay court season, feels cataclysmic. Not only does it signal a willingness to break from inconvenient traditions, but it could prove to be, quite literally, a game-changer.
This year, players have had an extra week to make the transition from clay to grass, and prepare themselves for what is arguably the most coveted title in tennis. Experts and players both point out that in recent years, the grass courts at Wimbledon have slowed down enough to not make them as drastically different from clay as in the past. Still, for some, the extra week of rest and practice might make all the difference.
On the eve of this year’s championships, here’s a look at the top singles contenders and what’s at stake for them. First up, the Gentlemen’s Singles.
Novak Djokovic
The undisputed world number one is also the defending champion. But Djokovic was gutted not to have won the French Open this year despite beating old rival Rafa Nadal in the quarters. He was desperately hoping to complete the career Grand Slam (all four Slam titles) in Paris and his crushing defeat at the hands of Stan Wawrinka reduced him to tears after the match.
Significantly, unlike the other players, he did not compete in any of the warm-up grass court tournaments these past three weeks, which may have hurt his chances a little. Add to this an incredibly tough draw – he is to face hard-hitting German Philip Kohlschrieber in Round 1, followed possibly by Leyton Hewitt, Aussie Bernard Tomic, and grass court specialist Kevin Anderson. If he makes it past them all, he will find Wawrinka waiting for him in the semis. It will be a huge effort even for Djokovic if he were to lift the champion’s trophy two weeks from now.
Our Prediction: Finalist.
Roger Federer
You can never count the legend out, especially at Wimbledon where he won his last Grand Slam title in 2012. But at age 33, it’s fair to say that this might be Federer’s last legitimate shot at adding another one to his record haul. Last weekend, he won the warm up event at Halle for the eighth time, and he has been blessed with a good draw at Wimbledon this year. Expect him to sail through the early rounds, until he comes up against Tomas Berdych in the quarter finals, against whom he lost in 2010.
Our Prediction: Loses to Berdych in semifinal.
Andy Murray
The monkey came off his back in 2013 when he became the first British man to win Wimbledon since Fred Perry in 1936. The pressure on Murray in his home tournament will always be enormous, but he’s used to it now and knows what it’s like to win Slams. He won the warm up at Queens Club last week, and looks to be in the best form of all the top players.
Murray has a fairly simple draw until the fourth round where he should meet Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, a very dangerous opponent on grass. If he gets through that round, he might meet Nadal in the quarters and Federer in the semis. Even so, he has an excellent chance of making it to the final and also winning the title this year. It would be a terrific baby shower gift for pregnant coach Amelie Mauresmo.
Our Prediction: Champion.
Rafael Nadal
It sounds unbelievable, but nine players are seeded above the two-time champion. Nine.
His game has never been ideally suited to grass, which makes his two victories here – both following French Open titles – all the more remarkable. In recent years, he has lost early to much lower-ranked players: Lukas Rosol in 2012, Steve Darcis in 2013, and Nick Kyrgios in 2014. Clearly, if he meets a big-serving power hitter early at Wimbledon, he’s in a lot of trouble.
Watching Nadal get hammered by Djokovic on his beloved clay in Paris was not encouraging. However – and with Nadal there’s always a however – he surprised everyone, including, perhaps, himself by winning the warm up in Stuttgart two weeks ago, his first on grass in five years.
At Wimbledon, he meets Thomas Bellucci in the first round and maybe Dustin Brown, who crushed him at Halle last year, in round two. If he gets past these opponents, he has a good chance of reaching the quarters where he will meet Murray.
Our Prediction: Loses early (by round 3).
The Big Four no longer control men’s tennis, as newly crowned French Open champion Wawrinka will hasten to point out. He isn’t too fond of grass but has a big enough game to do well on it, and is soaring on confidence. However, he must also be quite drained after his French Open triumph. If he meets Djokovic in the semi-final, the latter is likely to extract revenge.
I think even three weeks is not a long enough interval for Stan to pull off the double. The other person realistically capable of winning the title this year is Tomáš Berdych, the best player on the men’s side not to have won a Slam. The former finalist has the game and confidence to pull it off here, if he can hold his both his nerve and his serve. The other players to watch out for are Tsonga, Kei Nishikori, and US Open champion Marin Cilic, all of whom are capable of beating absolutely anyone on their day.
What of the Ladies’ Singles?
Serena Williams
If she wins Wimbledon she will complete her personal Serena Slam by holding all four Majors at the same time. She will also be three-quarters through to the real Grand Slam, having already won the Australian and French Open titles this year. At age 33 (the same as Federer,) the 20-time Slam winner shows no signs of slowing down. There is absolutely no reason why she shouldn’t win Wimbledon again this year, unless she suffers a tremendous lack of concentration on a given day. The outcome of the women’s event depends on this woman alone.
Our Prediction: Champion.
Maria Sharapova
Having won both the title and the adoration of cameras around the world at the tender age of 17 in 2004, Sharapova has been unable to match that performance on grass ever since. She has, ironically, become more of a clay court specialist. Even if Sharapova reaches the semfinal, where she is scheduled to meet Serena, she is not going to get past the American whom she hasn’t been able to beat in their last 16 encounters.
Our Prediction: Loses before semifinal.
Petra Kvitova
She has proved to be the best grass court player of her generation. The defending champ will open the ladies’ singles event on Tuesday if she is healthy. Last week, she was forced to withdraw from a warm up tournament in Eastbourne with a virus. But if the virus doesn’t get her, nerves might, as she has admitted to feeling terrible pressure when returning to defend her title. She failed to do so successfully in 2012, but has hopefully gained more experience by now. Still, don’t be surprised if she makes an exit early.
Our Prediction: Loses early.
Venus Williams
The five-time champion can’t be left out of any discussion on Wimbledon, especially since she shares her name with the gorgeous silver salver awarded to the winner of the women’s event. Venus still looks so graceful on the grass, and it is always a joy to watch her play serve and volley tennis in an era of robotic groundstrokes. But, let’s face it, Venus is unlikely to go any further than the fourth round where she is drawn to meet none other than her sister.
Prediction: Loses to Serena in Round 4.
The last few years have seen new Wimbledon finalists on the women’s side: Eugenie Bouchard in 2014, Marion Bartoli and Sabine Lisicky in 2013, Agnieszka Radwanska in 2012. This year, too, we hope to see someone new flourish. Players to watch out for – who can, and probably, will cause upsets – are Lisicky, Tsvetana Pironkova from Bulgaria, Belinda Bencic of Switzerland (who just won Eastbourne,) last year’s semifinalist, America’s Sloane Stephens, and Germany’s Angelique Kerber.
So as 128 men and 128 women make their final preparations for the singles events, let’s get ready to root for our favourites, back the underdogs, and hope that all our predictions are turned upside down.
