Wimbledon is upon us, which means it is time for me to write my list of 10 things to look for at the lone grass grand slam. There were a few upsets on the first day such as Tatjana Maria upsetting #5 Elina Svitolina, Stan Wawrinka over #6 Grigor Dimitrov, and Donna Vekic over #4 Sloane Stephens, so I won't be addressing any of those players who went down.
#1. Will skipping the clay season pay off for Roger Federer? Roger Federer skipped the clay court season to get himself ready for Wimbledon and so far that's looking like a smart decision as he comes in ranked #2 in the world and seeded #1. If Federer goes on to win this tournament for the second consecutive year, skipping the clay season will really look like a smart decision. As a quick side note, Federer is no longer wearing Nike gear. In his first round victory over Dusan Lajovic, Fed was rocking Uniqlo gear instead. It'll be interesting to see if that move pays off for him as well.
#2. Can Simona Halep win back-to-back slams? Simona Halep is coming off of her first grand slam title at Roland Garros and is now attempting to follow that up with a title at Wimbledon. Winning on the clay and then on the grass is no easy feat given the contrast in surfaces as well as the quick turnaround. I could see Halep flame out early or make another deep run. It'll be interesting to see which one it is.
#3. Can Rafael Nadal still contend at Wimbledon? While he continues to have a stronghold over Roland Garros, Rafael Nadal has not won a Wimbledon title since 2010. Grass is clearly not his best surface, but his two career Wimbledon titles do suggest he knows what it takes to win on it. The big question right now is whether or not he still has what it takes to win another Wimbledon. I personally believe he does, but he's going to have his work cut out for him with Federer playing so well.
#4. Is Venus Williams still a contender? Despite not having won Wimbledon since 2008, Venus Williams has five Wimbledon titles and comes in as the #9 seed. If there's any dark horse to pick to win on the women's side, it's Venus. It's just a matter of her recapturing the magic one more time.
#5. Don't sleep on Novak Djokovic: Novak Djokovic comes in as the #12 seed after reaching the quarterfinals at Roland Garros. He's won Wimbledon three times and still has plenty of time to win more slams. While Venus Williams is the dark horse on the women's side, Djokovic is undoubtedly the dark horse on the men's side.
#6. Can Serena Williams make a run? Serena Williams lost in the 4th round at Roland Garros despite coming off of her pregnancy and being unseeded. At Wimbledon she's seeded #25 and is playing on a surface she is much more comfortable on. I don't expect Serena Williams to win the whole thing, but it wouldn't shock me in the least to see her playing into the second week.
#7. Don't sleep on Marin Cilic: Marin Cilic comes in as the #3 seed and is looking to reach the Wimbledon final for the second consecutive season. Cilic really should get talked about a lot more than he does. He's a big guy whose game is well suited for the grass. I expect him to reach the semifinals and be a legit threat to win the gentlemen's singles title. He's got all the tools to do so.
#8. Can Garbiñe Muguruza defend her Wimbledon crown? Garbiñe Muguruza comes in as the #3 seed and is hoping to defend her crown. So far Muguruza has two grand slam titles under her belt (2016 French Open and 2017 Wimbledon), so she's no joke. The big question with her is can she repeat at any of the grand slams that she's already won. 2018 Wimbledon will be a chance to prove that she can.
#9. Can Kyle Edmund carry the torch for Great Britain? With Andy Murray deciding to pull out of Wimbledon, #21 seeded Kyle Edmund has the responsibility to carry Great Britain on his back. While I don't think he's got much of a chance to win it all, Edmund does have the potential to make things interesting and possibly reach the 4th round. If he does, the British fans will be delighted as he's pretty much all they got right now on the gentlemen's side.
#10. Can Petra Kvitova win it all again? Petra Kvitova is a two-time Wimbledon champion who comes in as the #8 seed in the tournament. The big question with her is whether or not she's still got it. She hasn't won Wimbledon since 2014, which is a long time ago in tennis years. Kvitova certainly should be treated as a dark horse to win it all, but I can't give her any higher status than that. She's going to have to prove to us one more time that she can make a deep run before we once again consider her to be a serious contender.
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