With Wimbledon beginning on Monday, now is the time for me
to make my list of 10 things to look for at the third Grand Slam of the tennis
season. Enjoy!
#1. Can Andy Murray
repeat at Wimbledon? Andy Murray comes into Wimbledon having lost in the
semifinals at Roland Garros. He is the #1 ranked player in the world and is the
defending Wimbledon champion. Murray has three grand slam titles under his belt
(2012 US Open, 2013 Wimbledon, and 2016 Wimbledon). He has never won the same
grand slam in back-to-back years. If he accomplishes that at Wimbledon that
will be another major achievement in what is already a hall of fame career.
#2. Can Angelique
Kerber bounce back from a disappointing French Open? Angelique Kerber comes
into Wimbledon as the #1 ranked player in the world, but her performance at
Roland Garros was disappointing, losing in the first round. With Simona Halep right behind her in the
rankings, Kerber cannot afford to go out early at Wimbledon. Especially since
she has a lot of points to defend, reaching the final last year.
#3. Will the rest pay
off for Roger Federer? After winning the Australian Open, Roger Federer decided to skip the
French Open so as to be more prepared and rested for Wimbledon. Federer skipped
Roland Garros in 2016 as well and went on to reach the semifinals of Wimbledon,
so that gives us good reason to think it won’t negatively affect him this year.
#4. How will Jelena
Ostapenko perform under the spotlight? After winning her first grand slam
title last month at Roland Garros, Jelena
Ostapenko is under the greatest spotlight she’s ever experienced. A lot of
players have struggled in their next grand slam following their first grand
slam title. If Ostapenko can make it to the second week, I’ll be very
impressed.
#5. How deep will
Novak Djokovic go? Currently ranked #4 in the world, Novak Djokovic is in a funk by his standards. He lost in the 2nd
round at the Australian Open and went down in the quarterfinals at Roland
Garros. It would be huge for Djokovic to find himself back in a grand slam
final after his recent struggles. He really can’t afford to stay in this funk
for much longer.
#6. What should we
expect from Victoria Azarenka? After having a baby, Victoria Azarenka is back at a grand slam. Currently ranked #678 in
the world, it’s hard to know what to expect from the former world #1. The good
news for her is that Serena Williams
and Maria Sharapova are both absent,
giving her an opportunity to make a deep run. If I had to place odds on it, I’d
say it’s 50/50 odds we see her playing into the second week.
#7. Can Rafael Nadal
shock the world and actually win this thing? I know it sounds weird to
phrase a Rafael Nadal grand slam
title as “shocking” when you consider that he’s won 15. But in truth, it would
be rather shocking to see Nadal come out on top at Wimbledon. He hasn’t won the
event since 2010 and has only advanced past the 2nd round once since
2011, making a 4th round appearance in 2014. It will be very
impressive if Nadal finds a way to seriously contend.
#8. Can Venus
Williams put aside the car accident? Venus Williams has been dealing with a
lot off the court lately, being found responsible for the death of a 78 year
old man via a car crash. While what Williams did was an honest mistake and not
even technically “criminal”, it still must be hard for her to go out and play
tennis with such a cloud hanging over her head. If it wasn’t for this, I would
consider her my dark horse to win the event, but right now, I’m not sure if
it’s smart to expect her to win more than a couple of matches.
#9. Look for Roger
Federer to win it all on the men’s side: After winning the 2017 Australian
Open, I’m a firm believer in Roger Federer’s ability to come out on top at this
year’s Wimbledon. He’s well rested and appears dialed in to win this thing.
He’s the greatest to ever play the sport and also the greatest grass court
player of all time. I got my money on Fed.
#10. Look for Johanna
Konta to win it all on the women’s side: It’s hard to know who to pick to
win the women’s title with Maria Sharapova and Serena Williams both out. Nobody
appears to be a clear frontrunner right now, so I’m going to go out on a limb
and pick Johanna Konta to win it
all. She’s the #6 seed and will have the backing of the Great Britain crowd
behind her as the top ranked Brit in the women’s draw. You can call me crazy,
but I have Konta winning this thing.
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