Wimbledon is around the corner and what an exciting time this is right now in Pro Tennis! Rafa and Novak have an incredible rivalry going on and it appears as if Roger is losing ground to these two.
Maria Sharapova is back to top form and currently number 1 in the world in the women’s game. Victoria Azarenka and Petra Kvitova have the potential to take that position away from her though and Serena Williams is still capable of beating everybody if she is in good form!
In this post I want to give you a quick preview and some predictions for Wimbledon
The Men’s Game
It appears as if Rafa and Novak are the ones seriously competing for Grand Slam titles at this point. Roger had some great results earlier in the year but he never had to beat Rafa or Novak while they were in top form.
Check Out Last Years Wimbledon Final
Let’s have a look at my view on the Top3 and other notable players going into Wimbledon
Novak Djokovic
Novak had a good chance to win 4 majors in a row but he faced an in-form Nadal in the French Open final. He also didn’t show his best Tennis though for most of that match and even though he defended his Australian Open title, his results this year have not been quite as good as last year but that is nothing to worry about for Novak.
For a little more than one set in the French Open finals we saw him in top form again, taking the backhand on the rise and putting enormous pressure on Nadal. Whenever he is in that good of a form Nadal does not really have any answers and I don’t think that has changed.
I expect Novak to find his best form again and he is the clear favorite to win this year’s Wimbledon title in my opinion!
Rafael Nadal
Nadal played phenomenal at the French Open and he also hit his topspin backhand very well and extremely aggressive, which is the most important thing for him to play his bets Tennis and have a chance against an in-form Novak.
Nevertheless, I watched his first two matches on grass at the tournament in Halle and he sliced a lot of backhands and didn’t play well overall. Rafa is usually a slow starter on grass though and it takes him a while to adjust to the surface.
At this point it is really tough to know how good his form on grass will be but expect him to be ready since he is such a great competitor and I would expect that the confidence he had in his backhand at the French will be back in time for Wimbledon.
Overall I see Rafa as the second favorite after Djokovic!
Roger Federer
Even though Roger reached the semi-finals of the French, I think it was disappointing to see how he lost that match against Novak. He played well at times and was ahead but then he really fell apart and in my opinion it is quite obvious at this point that Roger has massive problems when it comes to being mentally tough and believing in himself when he plays Rafa or Novak in Grand Slam semi-finals and finals.
Even though Roger loves the grass I think he only has a slight outsider chance of winning the title this year!
Other Notable Players
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga is definitely someone to watch at Wimbledon this year. He played exceptional at the French Open and had match points against Djokovic. His game is good enough to beat everyone on a good day and he played well last year at Wimbledon. For him it also comes down to controlling nerves and showing up with his best stuff when it matters the most!
Milos Raonic is another player that I think has an outsider chance to go really far at this years Wimbledon. His serve alone makes him a threat and his game should be well-suited for grass. He hasn’t done extremely well on the grass yet but it usually takes young players a few years until they play really well on grass. Possibly this year’s Wimbledon could be a breakthrough for him!
Andy Murray is of course also someone to watch. He didn’t play well at the French though and especially the way he lost was a bit disappointing. Whenever he faces adversity he tends to show really negative body language and struggles to turn that around. I had hopes for improvement since he started working with Ivan Lendl a few months ago and there were signs of improvement but at this point I doubt that he will do well this year!
The Women’s Game
Maria Sharapova is the new number 1 player in the world and my guess is that she has a good chance of remaining in that spot for a while. Petra Kvitova is the defending champion and her game works really well on those grass courts. I also think that Serena Williams will show up in strong form even though she lost in the first round of the French Open
Check Out Last Years Finals Highlights
Maria Sharapova
Maria has been improving step by step and her game is looking really strong again. She seems to have those serve issues at least somewhat under control and she also defends a little better than previously, which is most likely something that her coach Thomas Hogstedt has emphasized.
She prepares in a super professional way and she is also one of the toughest competitors on the women’s tour if not the toughest. Last year she got close, losing to Kvitova in the finals but this year her game is even stronger.
Sharapova is the favorite to win the women’s title this year in my opinion!
Petra Kvitova
Petra is the defending champion and her game is excellent on the grass courts at Wimbledon. She played well at the French where she lost in the semi-finals to a well-playing Maria Sharapova. She did not play her best Tennis in that match and nerves definitely play a role with her as well.
Her confidence is much higher at Wimbledon on the grass though and on a really good day I think nobody would beat her.
Kvitova is a close second favorite to Sharapova in my eyes. It would be great to see these two play each other this year!
Serena Williams
As usual it is a bit unclear how well Serena is playing and what form she will show up in. She played exceptional Tennis before the French Open and I was very surprised to see her loose in the first round in Paris.
Nevertheless, I still believe that she is really hungry to win more Grand Slams right now and her confidence is also high at Wimbledon.
Getting comfortably through the first couple of rounds will be really important for her and if she does so then I see her right there with Kvitova and Sharapova contending for the title!
Victoria Azarenka
Azarenka has had a few tough losses after a phenomenal start to the year. She did not play that well at the French and she also has not had a whole lot of success at Wimbledon yet. Therefore I only see outside chances for her to win the title!
Allright. So much for my Wimbledon preview. Hope you are excited for some cool matches as well!
