Wimbledon starts Monday, June 29 at 7:00 AM EST on ESPN. In a few hours, the greatest tennis players in the world will begin their quest to win the most prestigious tournament in all of tennis. Don't get me wrong, all of the grand slams are prestigious, but Wimbledon has a special significance to it given its surface (grass) and its location in the United Kingdom, which is where tennis was born. When you win Wimbledon, you forever become tied to a rich history and legacy that no other tennis tournament in the world possesses.
With that as an introduction, here is my preview of the third grand slam event of the season. Like all my other previews, I will list ten key things to look for. Enjoy!
#1. With David Ferrer out, Andy Murray should coast to the semifinals: Andy Murray, who is seeded 3rd in the gentlemen's draw, got a lucky break with David Ferrer withdrawing from the event due to an elbow injury. Ferrer, who was seeded 8th, was projected to meet Murray in the quarterfinals. With Ferrer now out, the toughest match Murray has en route to the semifinals is facing 10th seeded Rafael Nadal in the 4th round. Judging by how Nadal has been playing as of late, I have no reason to think Nadal will give Murray much trouble. Assuming Andy Murray doesn't blow up in one of his early matches, we can pretty much pencil him in to reach the semifinals.
#2. How will Lucie Safarova handle the pressure? Lucie Safarova reached the French Open final as the 13th overall seed, losing to Serena Williams in the final. As a result of her miraculous run, she is now seeded 6th in the ladies draw at Wimbledon with way more pressure and expectations than she had on her going into the French Open. It'll be interesting to see how Safarova responds and whether or not she can back up her strong performance at Roland Garros with a Wimbledon title. In order to do so, she'll probably have to beat Maria Sharapova in the quarterfinals, Serena Williams in the semifinals, and Petra Kvitova in the final. That's a very tall order.
#3. Novak Djokovic needs to bounce back: Novak Djokovic needs to win Wimbledon. He needs it to reestablish himself as the best player in the world and he needs it to numb the pain from what happened in Paris. It's that simple.
#4. Venus Williams might be Serena Williams' biggest obstacle: While Petra Kvitova is the player who is favored to win the other half of the draw, Venus Williams might be Serena Williams' biggest obstacle. They are projected to face each other in the 4th round and Venus Williams' favorite surface is grass. If there is any place where Venus Williams can still give her younger sister a run for her money, it is at Wimbledon, a grand slam she has won five times.
#5. Roger Federer has a great chance of winning the title: Roger Federer is projected to face Tomas Berdych in the quarterfinals and Andy Murray in the semifinals. Both players can certainly beat him, but neither of them are players who I would say should be favored, either. In addition, Novak Djokovic looks vulnerable despite being the #1 player in the world after seeing what happened at Roland Garros. I know that he's getting up there in age, but Roger Federer is still the #2 player in the world and he is playing at his favorite grand slam. He should be feeling very confident going into this tournament.
#6. Eugenie Bouchard needs to get back on track: Eugenie Bouchard has fallen outside of the top 10 and is seeded 12th. She is projected to face #8 seeded Ekaterina Makarova in the 4th round, which isn't too bad, but then she is projected to face #2 seeded Petra Kvitova in the quarterfinals, who has won Wimbledon twice. Bouchard needs to take this one match at a time, but if she can get herself back to the quarterfinals, she should feel good about her progress heading into the US Open.
#7. How will Kei Nishikori's calf hold up? Kei Nishikori has been dealing with a calf injury, which he claims won't affect him for Wimbledon. However, there's no telling how Kei will feel after a couple of matches. How Kei Nishikori feels early on in the tournament will definitely be one of the things to keep an eye on. Especially since he is the #5 seed in the whole tournament.
#8. Look out for Sabine Lisicki: Don't let her 18th overall seeding fool you. Sabine Lisicki is a very dangerous player on grass and always a threat at Wimbledon. She's been to the semifinals twice and the finals once. Don't be surprised if she goes even further this year and wins the entire title.
#9. Look for Novak Djokovic to win the gentlemen's title: Even though he has had his ups and downs, Novak Djokovic is still the best player in the world. He has won Wimbledon twice and should be treated as the favorite to win the title. This really is his title to lose.
#10. Look for Serena Williams to win the ladies' title: Serena Williams is chasing history. She is looking to win the most grand slam titles of any woman in tennis history and she is looking to win a grand slam in a calendar year. She has a lot on the line historically and is playing the best tennis of her career. I expect her to deliver the goods and capture her 21st career grand slam title.
---Ben Parker: Follow me on twitter @atp_guy and like Facebook page ATP Guy Nation for tennis updates
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