Right! Now that Wimbledon 2016 is only a week away I thought it was time to look at my list for the top contenders for the title at the All England club at SW19 as the 3rd major of the season approaches, who will walk away with the trophy??? Well let's have a guess and take a look starting as usual with the top man and working our way down....
1. Novak Djokovic
Right starting at the top spot, well this is a pretty obvious one to put at the top and its none other than Novak Djokovic, the World No.1 and with good reason as he has just completed his career slam by winning the French open for the first time, so this puts him in as good a favourite as you could get. Novak under Boris Becker's coaching really has come to the fore as one of the great players in the game with his incredible speed, accuracy and above all consistency as Novak has pretty much won it all now with only the Olympic gold medal alluding him now. Not only that but Novak is also the two time defending champion at Wimbledon and he looks to be in the strongest ever position to defend his title there again.
However the only thing that might prevent Novak's progress is if he has any hangover from having achieved his dream of the career slam which might see his chances of winning a 3rd straight Wimbledon title a bridge too far but this in itself is extremely unlikely. And another thing might also hinder Novak's chances is a certain Andy Murray, who has already beaten Novak twice in their two meetings at the All England Club both at the Olympics in 2012 and Wimbledon 2013 so he may have to overcome the hurdle of taking down his grass court nemesis before he can win again.
But if there is one thing that Novak knows how to do, it is to win tennis matches and titles, which he has done by the bucket load over the last few years. And when Novak is on, the surface doesn't matter and for that reason alone it would be mad not to have him as the favourite for this year's title. The only thing that might stop him is as I said is Andy Murray, but given that Novak has become a much better player overall since their last grass court meeting at Wimbledon three years ago, I think its a fairly safe bet the Serb might still come out on top. Prediction: champion or finalist.
2. Andy Murray
Next at the No.2 spot IS the World No.2, Andy Murray, the former champion in 2013 who's favourite surface overall is probably grass so Wimbledon is a tournament that is almost tailor made for him. Andy has also just completed the perfect preparation for the grass court slam as he has just won a record 5th title at Queens club in London today, which sees him in great working order for what lies ahead.
The only problems for Andy is that for one he always seems to succumb to having a dramatic match in the first week that could harm his chances, however he has always managed to come through these matches in the past but its almost obligatory that he has at least one in the first week! This was also a big problem for Andy at the French Open where he expended alot of energy early on in the tournament where he had to fight through two five set matches in the first two rounds when he should have played more efficiently. However now that Ivan Lendl has returned to Andy's camp, let's hope Ivan can help put his early opponents away much more effectively than he did at the French.
Another issue for Andy is of course his nemesis, Novak Djokovic, who while Andy leads their grass court head to head 2-0, Novak has become the dominant player in the sport and he owns Andy in their own head to head 24-10 overall. And Novak has become a player who has been able to transcend any surface regardless of what it may be and been able to find his best tennis just when he needs it and this has allowed him to surpass Andy and gain a healthy lead over him in their grand slam match encounters as he currently is well ahead 8-2. So if Novak turns up in the final on the day playing his very best, unless Andy plays the match of his life, he could very well come up second best again.
But....I still think even if Andy get's to the final (and personally I think he will) and faces Novak, given that it is grass he does still have a chance to win. And let's not forget one extra factor has been added into the mix since the French open: Ivan Lendl, who has guided Andy to victory twice over Novak in the past in two slam finals, so its definitely possible he could do so here again. And Lendl can hopefully succeed where Amelie Mauresmo wasn't able to in getting Andy over the finishing line in the majors.
So the way I see it is, Andy most likely will reach the final this year but he might not necessarily win it as given Novak's current form I'd still give the World No.1 the edge, but if Andy can find a way and the Lendl factor takes effect, he'll give himself a good shot at winning his 2nd title at SW19. Prediction: finalist or champion.
3. Milos Raonic
Next up is the big Canadian serving Milos Raonic, who has so far had a very impressive start to the grass court swing as he reached the final of Queens today and just came up second best to Andy Murray in a very close match. The Canadian has also been working with former Wimbledon champ, John McEnroe who knows a thing or two about playing on grass and he could be a real asset to help Raonic win his first major.
The problems I however foresee with Raonic is that he isn't the best overall athlete and despite the fact he is developing his game, he still hasn't got the all round game to beat the very best in the sport or has the movement either. So Raonic will need to hope he can conserve energy and serve really well and that the draw opens up for him.
So can Raonic win Wimbledon at this stage??? To be honest, no, because I just think right now he still lacks that edge and the fitness to really get himself there but I still think he will have a mighty good stab at it before he is done and I think reaching the last four will be a safe bet for the Canadian who is still forever improving. Prediction: semi finals.
4. Dominic Thiem
Next is the young rising star and recent newcomer to the top 10, the current World No.7, Dominic Thiem from Austria who has had a pretty good season so far in 2016 as he is currently in the lead with the most matches won this year and he won his first grass court title at Stuttgart just last week. Thiem also has a great, mature mental attitude for his young age of just 22 and for me I really think he has a shot at becoming a future World No.1 and has all the talent and ability to win majors in the future.
However right now I think Thiem isn't quite there yet when it comes to being able to win slams and he is certainly knocking on the door but he is yet to really take it to the elite players in the world before he has a real shot at winning a major title. But I think this won't stop Thiem from going on a pretty good run at the All England Club it wouldn't surprise me if we saw Thiem reach the final four or last eight there. Prediction: quarter finals or semi finals.
5. Stan Wawrinka
Next is Stan Wawrinka who so far has had a bit of an up and down season in 2016 as he only reached the 4th round at the Australian open this year and he was dethroned by an in form Andy Murray at the French open. Stan also hasn't had the best preparation so far for his grass court season this year as he lost his opening match at Queens to Fernando Verdasco, despite hiring former Wimbledon champion, Richard Kraijeck to help him with his grass court game.
But despite that loss I still think Stan can do prety well at Wimbledon this year with Kraijeck's help when it comes to the grass court major, this is where his experience will definitely come to the fore for Stan, who in the last two years or so has had a pretty decent run at the majors in general.
So I definitely think that Stan should reach the second week and possibly he will reach the last eight or maybe even the last four even if I don't see him as the eventual champion. Prediction: quarter finals or semi finalist.
6. Marin Cilic
Next is Marin Cilic who has done pretty well at Wimbledon over the last couple of years as he has reached the quarter finals there and he has won the title at Queens club a few years ago also. Cilic also of course won the US Open two years ago aswell which saw him as a potential player who could go on and win more grand slams.
The only problem however for Cilic is that he can often lack the edge needed to get past the very best players in the world, he did it once at the US Open two years ago but he has struggled to do it since especially since one certain Serb has been able to dominate the majors over the last year or so. Cilic also has struggled to get past the likes of Andy Murray aswell given that he is without a doubt the world's second best player right now and until Cilic can get past these guys it will be tough for him to win the title.
However even though Cilic won't be the eventual champ I still think he can go fairly deep into the draw and I wouldn't be surprised if he made it to the last eight again this year. Prediction: quarter finals.
7. Roger Federer
Next up is suprisingly so far down this list is Roger Federer who has done so well in the last two years at Wimbledon having reached the final in so many years. However things haven't been quite so good for Roger this year as he has struggled with back injury not to mention he underwent knee surgery which kept him out of the game for a while, which had seen him lose his World No.2 ranking to Andy Murray who has overtaken him on points alone.
Roger has also struggled somewhat in his grass court warm-up tournaments so far this season as he lost out in the semi finals of both Stuttgart and Halle, this sees Roger without a grass court title going into Wimbledon for quite some time. And the fact that Roger has been losing to lower ranked, not to mention young players so far such as Dominic Thiem and Alexander Zverev also puts him in serious doubt for his chances at Wimbledon aswell as he could easily go out in the first week if he is not careful.
So for me I don't see Roger do quite so well this year and in fact an early exit could potentially be on the cards given also that the fitness issues he's had with his back also put things into question too. I'm pretty sure Roger will play at Wimbledon aswell but its whether or not his results will get better as the event goes on or not or if he can overcome the younger opposition which is fast rising against him.
However at the same time I wouldn't write off Roger's chances of doing well at Wimbledon this year and I still think he could potentially reach the 2nd week but I wouldn't be surprised if he went out in the first week, 4th round or the quarter finals given his struggles so far in 2016. Prediction: 3rd round, 4th round or quarter finals.
8. Richard Gasquet
Next is Richard Gasquet who had an excellent run last year to the semi finals where he lost to Novak Djokovic in straight sets but he put in a good effort against the World No.1 before he went out. Gasquet also has a great game and just so happens to have one of the best single handed backhands in the sport which can really see him through some tough matches.
But again the problem for Gasquet is that he lacks the killer instinct to take down the elite players in the game especially as Novak and Andy both have a commanding lead over him he is not likely to get past them at the All England Club either. Gasquet also has never reached a grand slam final even though he has reached three semi finals, which is impressive in itself but he needs something extra to get himself over the line.
So again I can't quite see Gasquet as the eventual champion at Wimbledon but he can definitely still have a good crack at things and I think the last 16 or 8 could be a safe bet. Prediction: 4th round or quarter finals.
9. Tomas Berdych
And then we get to Tomas Berdych, the former Wimbledon finalist in 2010 who has had a bit of an up and down year so far and he recently sacked his coach Dani Vallverdu, who used to be in Andy Murray's team after his results went downhill. Berdych however did go on to have a decent run at the French Open where he reached the quarter finals but lost to the eventual champion, Novak Djokovic in straight sets.
Again though the problem with Berdych is that he always has been lacking the edge to beat the elite guys who are ahead of him in the big events and he often he has also suffered a losing head to head in his rivalries with them. Berdych even though he moves well for a big guy maybe also lacks the peak physical fitness needed to wear down the likes of a Novak Djokovic or Andy Murray over five sets and normally has struggled to take more than a set off them, which reduces his chances further of winning a major.
But despite that I still think that Berdych will have a decent run at SW19 before he goes out but he most likely will come up short against one of the big elite guys in maybe the last 16 or 8. Prediction: 4th round or quarter finals.
10. Nick Kyrgios
And last but not necessarily least is Nick Kyrgios, the flashy, talented but outspoken Aussie player who made his mark at Wimbledon two years ago when he defeated Rafa in the 4th round to reach his first major quarter final. And Nicky went on to back this up the following year as he managed to battle his way into the quarter finals of the Australian open before he went out to Andy Murray there the year after in 2015. And when Nick is on he is a very dangerous player to beat as he is fearless and will take on anyone when he is at his best.
However the problem that Kyrgios is that he can often have a meltdown during his matches which will see him argue with the umpire and line officials that can land him in alot of bother and he is no stranger to having received fines for his on court behaviour. And until Nick can get his immature nature under control I think he will struggle to get himself into a position where he can win a grand slam although if he matures then he might yet do it.
And while I can't see Nick win the title this year I still think he can do not too badly at the event and reach the 2nd week but if he has a meltdown on court at any time then he could go out early on rather than later. Prediction: 3rd, 4th round or quarter finals.
And lastly a few other players that are worth a mention that I haven't included in the top 10 list are David Goffin who has had an excellent year so far and he is just sitting outside the top 10 himself at No.11 in the world right now so he could have a decent run at SW19 also. David Ferrer who has struggled with injury this year so far and has had mixed results could also potentially do well if he keeps himself fit but his drop out of the top ten is a bit of a concern in terms of if he can get back into the top 10. Kei Nishikori even though he is a top 5 player has not quite done aswell at Wimbledon as he has in the other majors but he too could have a decent run at the All England Club this year.
Gilles Simon also could be a player to watch out for as he managed to reach the quarter finals last year before he lost to Roger Federer. Kyle Edmund on the Brits side could also even potentially put in a surprise good run if he plays well enough but he needs to improve his fitness in five set matches before he can go really far in the slams so he might not get too far. And lastly John Isner the big serving and BIG American (6ft 10) player could also do well at SW19 as he has done not too badly in his last couple of majors reaching the 4th round and he might do so again this year.
So that's it for my look at my pick of the contenders for the title this year at Wimbledon and its only a week away now before play get's started so I'm sure it will be great and then I will get my coverage of the event started fairly soon once its underway (well maybe I might wait till the first week is over!).
Anyway so until the next un, bye for now.
