Rrrrrright well the third grand slam of the season is just a week away now at SW19 yep its the Wimbledon championships coming up soon which will see the world's best players hammer it out for the right to win the title. So here is my list of contenders for the title and also to do well at Wimbledon.
And without further ado let's get going....
1. Andy Murray
While this might surprise some I'm putting Andy Murray right at the top of the list this year as going by his form this week on the grass at Queens club in London he has been superb and has already won the title during the odd years at the club from 2009, 2011, 2013. And today he triumped yet again as he beat Kevin Anderson in a very convicning fashion in straight sets and claimed his joint record 4th four title at Queens club as he joins the four time champions of the event including Lleyton Hewitt and Boris Becker. So this couldn't be better preparation for Andy going into Wimbledon and going by the tennis he has played so far this year it would be mad to write off his chances. The only problem however for Andy will be two players that stand in his way, one Novak Djokovic and one Roger Federer and it will remain a stern challenge for Andy to beat either of them particularly Djokovic whom he has lost his last eight matches to. And if you go by those stats you would certainly favour Novak to beat Andy again should they meet at SW19 in either the semis or the final. But on grass things are a bit different as Andy has never lost to Novak on a grass court and I really think he can take his form and use that to beat Djokovic for the first time since that Wimbledon final two years. And given the home support and his form I think Andy once again can triumph at the All England club regardless of his eight losses to Djokovic, something sooner or later will give and he might just have the edge over the Serb this once. Roger Federer however is also a real threat as he will be going for a record 8th title at SW19 and should he meet Andy in the final he could also come up short, but never forget that at the All England club both men are tied at one apiece with Roger triumphing during the Wimbledon championships and Andy going on to win the Olympics there as well. So I might be totally wrong but for me I see Andy as the champion at Wimbledon this year and if not he can definitely reach the final. But the way I see it is Andy took a set off Nole in Melbourne this year, he took two sets off him at the French in Paris and if he can do that he can take three off him at SW19. Prediction: champion or finalist.
2. Novak Djokovic
So at No.2 is Novak Djokovic who is the defending champion and of course the world's best player and given his record in slam finals it would be mad to not see him as the champion yet again. Novak also has the benefit of Boris Becker in his camp now, who himself was a three time champion at Wimbledon. The only drawbacks however for Djokovic are that having lost the French Open once again this year it might knock the sails out him a little bit but probably not too much and also he has opted again not play to a warm up event on grass. However this hasn't troubled Novak in the past and he has won the title twice at Wimbleon already so there is not much doubt he could win a third. The only real snag for Novak at Wimbledon is Andy Murray and while Andy has currently been on the losing end of Nole, the Serb has never beaten Andy on grass and is yet to win a set against him on that surface and I think this could be the perfect chance for revenge against Djokovic. Andy also at the French open really started to bear down on Novak as he levelled their match two sets all before Djokovic regrouped and beat Andy in the 5th, so he could be in danger of dropping three sets this time. Another concern for Novak is of course Roger Federer who pushed him all the way last year to five sets in their incredible final but Nole still managed to get it done in the end despite some nerves. So it has to be said that yes Novak can certainly win Wimbledon this year again and I wouldn't be at all surprised if he did, but he might just be pipped to the post by his rival Andy and maybe even Roger. Prediction: finalist or champion.
3. Roger Federer
Next is Roger Federer who so far has had a pretty good year overall despite an early exit at the Australian open losing to Andreas Seppi in the 3rd round there and coming up short against his Swiss pal Stan Wawrinka at the French Open. And Roger has already firmly stated his intent to try and win Wimbledon this year already and he also has won the title this weekend in Halle, which was his record 8th title at the grass court event. Roger also will be looking to gain his record 8th Wimbledon title as well this year and although there are still a few barriers in his way it would be hard not to see him reach another final. But do I see him as the outright champion??? To be honest no. And the reason why is because I just think given Roger's age that things are starting to catch up with him and I can potentially see Roger being upset by a Wawrinka or a Kygrios. He might of course go on to reach the final but even if he does he will most likely be facing an in form Andy or Novak and given their current forms I would say they are two best players in the world just now. But I definitely think Roger will still go deep at SW19 and the last four or final two might be a safe bet. Prediction: semi finals or final.
4. Stan Wawrinka
So up next is Stan Wawrinka whom I made the complete mistake of leaving him out of my list of the French open contenders list and he went on to win it, so I'm not making that mistake this time round! Stan however has still had an up and down year so far despite his triumph at the French open he has had a string of losses during the tour in 2015. But Stan has still brought it to the slams this year as he also made the semis at the Australian open and put in a pretty good showing before losing out to Novak in five sets. Stan also managed to make it to the quarter finals for the first time last year at Wimbledon and played a good match against Roger Federer before losing in four sets and that was also partly attributed to an injury he had picked up. So this time if Stan remains fit and healthy during the tournament I really think he could do some damage here and while I do not see him as the outright champion at Wimbledon I do think he can reach the last eight or four. Prediction: quarter finals or semi finals.
5. Rafael Nadal
After Stan the man we have Rafa who so far has endured the worst season of his career having put together a poor string of results and lost his crown at the French open for the first time in six years. So 2015 so far has not been kind to Rafa as he has struggled with his form and confidence however he has had some good results on grass so far this year as he already won the title in Stuttgart last week, which was his first grass court title since winning Wimbledon in 2011. However Rafa went on to suffer an early exit at Queens where he was beaten in his first round match by Alexandr Dolgopolov in three sets, despite being a break up in the 3rd set. And its these errors that are the biggest cause for concern with Rafa as he used to play the big points incredibly well in matches but that is something he has started to lose which has ultimately effected his game and confidence. But despite that I still think Rafa can do fairly well here at SW19 and he even made the 4th round last year before being stunned by Nick Kygrios so I would not be surprised if he was to make the 2nd week and I do think he can make the last eight although if he were to play the likes of Andy or Novak he would certainly come up second best given his current form. Prediction: semi finals or quarter finals.
6. Milos Raonic
Next is last year's semi finalist Milos Raonic who so far has had a pretty good year despite having not yet won a title in 2015 he has been pretty consistent in his results and also reached the quarter finals this year at the Australian open. Raonic also has added a little bit more to his game in the last year or so as next to his incredibly powerful and accurate serve he is also a decent returner and vollyer. Where Raonic falls down however is in his movement as he tends to be on the losing end against the very top players and best movers as he is slightly hampered by his height. Raonic's game is also very much still a work in progress and it will take him quite some time before he can fully enhance his game well enough to help him win a major. So can Raonic win the title? In all honesty no simply because of the bigger names that stand in his way but I still do see him maybe reaching the last eight or four again this year. Prediction: semi finals or quarter finals.
7. Kei Nishikori
After that we have Kei Nishikori who exploded onto the scene last year after reaching the US Open final last year and since then has been one of the most consistent players on the tour and his ranking has gone as high as No.4 in the world. Kei also is one of the game's fastest and fittest athletes so he is more than capable of rallying with the best from the back of the court. Where Kei however falls down is that he has no big weapons so he has to rely on his speed and athleticism to get himself around the court and that may leave him at a disadvantage. Kei however has been pretty consistent so far this year in the slams and has reached the quarter finals at both the Australian and French Open in 2015, which will stand him in good stead to do well at Wimbledon. However despite all that I don't see Kei as the eventual Wimbledon champion and I think he still stands a better chance of winning on hard courts than grass. So while he most likely won't be the champion I think he could reach the last eight. Prediction: quarter finals.
8. Tomas Berdych
Next is the big Czeck Tomas Berdych and he has had a pretty consistent year too so far and he did very well reaching the semis at the Australian open before losing to Andy Murray there. Tomas has also went pretty deep in many of the events on the tour this season so far but he also is yet to win a title this season despite reaching a few finals. And the big Czeck who has even inherited Andy Murray's ex-assistant coach, Dani Velverdu is still yet to unlock his full potential and find a way to win that elusive first major. So while he has the talent to win that major he still lacks that mental edge which has always held him back. Regardless of that though I still think Berdych can do fairly well at SW19 and the last eight is a pretty decent estimate of his chances even if he might not get further. Prediction: quarter finals.
9. David Ferrer
Up next is David Ferrer the Spanish terrier who so far has a fairly good year and so far he has also claimed a few titles in 2015. Ferrer is easily one of my favourite players on the tour and has consistently been in the top ten over the last decade or so which is a testament to just how good the guy not just on clay but on all surfaces, having already reached the quarter final at Wimbledon twice in his career. But the problem for Ferrer is despite his skill, speed and athletic ability around the court is that he too like Nishikori doesn't have any big weapons at his disposal, which leaves him struggling against the big four and in some cases other players as well. Despite that though I think Ferrer can still have a decent run at Wimbledon this year and would not be surprised if we saw him reach the 2nd week so at least the final 16 or 8 would be a good estimate for the Spaniad. Prediction: 4th round or quarter finals.
10. Marin Cilic
And last but not least we have Marin Cilic, the reigning US Open champion who after a few poor results this year has started to pick up his game again and he had put in a decent showing already this year at the French open. Also last year Cilic made his debut in the quarter finals at Wimbledon where he pushed Novak Djokovic to five sets before falling in the deciding set, which bodes well for him this year given that he is starting to pick up his form again. The problem for Cilic however is there are still some tricky players that stand in his way even before he can reach the latter stages such as Viktor Troicki who has beaten him the last five times they've played and he is sure to struggle against the Serb if they meet again at SW19. But given the right draw I still think Cilic can do well here and I think he could also reach the 2nd week and just maybe put in a repeat performance of his quarter final last year. Prediction: 4th round or quarter finals.
There are of course a few other dangerous floaters out there worth looking out for such as Nick Kygrios who announced himself last year at Wimbledon having beaten Rafa to reach the quarter finals there. Thanasis Kokinnakis, Nick's fellow Aussie is another dangerous opponent to watch out for as the young rising star will look to do well here also. Viktor Troicki also showed his good form on grass so far as well this season as he reached the finals last week in Stuttgart and the semi finals this week at Queens. Jack Sock is also another player to watch out for who has been on the rise and made it to the 4th round already this year at the French Open and he is also the defending doubles champion at Wimbledon too. And last of all there is Feliciano Lopez who is a seasoned grass court player who has previously reached the last eight at Wimbledon twice before so there is a chance he could do very well this year again.
So that's it for my look the contenders for Wimbledon and I will be back once coverage get's under way so really looking forward to that.
So until the next un its bye for now.
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