WIMBLEDON WATCHLIST
A look at the top contenders for the third Grand Slam of the season
WIMBLEDON gets underway at the All England Club today where Novak Djokovic and Angelique Kerber are the defending champions. (Prefix denotes seeding)
1. NOVAK DJOKOVIC (Serbia) — After Djokovic’s quest to simultaneously hold all four Grand Slam titles for the second time came to a grinding halt in the French Open semi-finals, the Serb took the unusual step of preparing for Wimbledon at a hardcourt complex in Belgrade. The 32-year-old won Wimbledon on his return from elbow surgery last year, and few people will bet against him claiming a fifth crown and his 16th major. 2. ROGER FEDERER (Switzerland) — Federer warmed up for his shot at claiming a ninth Wimbledon title by clinching his 10th Halle Open trophy, taking his tour-level career singles title tally to 102 — seven behind Jimmy Connors’ record 109. At the age of 37 the Swiss is still capable of winning the 21st Grand Slam of his career at the All England Club.
3. RAFA NADAL (Spain) — Fresh from a record-extending 12th French Open crown, Nadal heads into Wimbledon looking to capture a third title and avenge last year’s heartbreaking semi-final loss to Djokovic.
The 33-year-old Spaniard is in peak form ahead of his return to grass, but did not take kindly to being seeded third despite being ranked second in the world.
4. KEVIN ANDERSON (South
Africa) — Anderson’s preparation has been limited by an elbow injury that forced him to skip the claycourt season but last year’s runner-up is a threat against any opponent on grass. He was not up to scratch in his first tournament back from injury at Queen’s but 37 aces in two matches suggest his booming serve will once again be his biggest weapon.
6. ALEXANDER ZVEREV (Germany) — Zverev has had a poor season, exiting the Australian Open in the last 16 and Roland Garros in the quarter-finals. He won his only ATP title of the year in Geneva. The German’s raw power should see him safely through the early rounds at the All England Club but he needs to improve his serve-and-volley game if he is to have any hope of reaching the Wimbledon quarterfinals for the first time. 7. STEFANOS TSITSIPAS (Greece) — Tsitsipas is the latest torchbearer of the next generation looking to end the hegemony of the Big Three but the talented Greek has never advanced beyond the last 16 at Wimbledon. He has beaten Federer and Nadal this year but is yet to prove his mettle on grass.
13. MARIN CILIC (Croatia) — From a runners-up spot at Wimbledon in 2017 to a second-round exit last year, Cilic has been beset by injuries that have resulted in him sliding from third to 18th in the rankings. Despite his troubles, the Croat still has one of the fastest serves on the circuit and could go deep into the tournament if his knee holds out over the two weeks.
19. FELIX AUGER-ALIASSIME
(Canada) — Auger-Aliassime is the youngest member of the top 100 and is one of a handful of Next-Gen players with the tools to finally end the stranglehold that Djokovic, Nadal and Federer have over the men’s game. A string of impressive results, including three Tour-level finals and a long run at Miami, have moved him up to a career-high 21 in the rankings and his athleticism and technique as well as his energy can trouble anyone.