Today is the eve of 2021 Wimbledon, which means it is time for me to write my 10 things to look for. Yesterday I wrote my 10 things to take away from the 2021 French Open, which you can read here.
If you want a link to the 2021 Wimbledon draws, click here. If you want a link to the 2021 Wimbledon schedule, click here. Also, Rafael Nadal has withdrawn from Wimbledon and the Tokyo Olympics. Click here for details on that.
#1. Will the pressure of a calendar slam get to Novak Djokovic? The biggest story coming into this year's Wimbledon is the fact that Novak Djokovic is gunning for a calendar slam, which means a chance to win all four grand slams in one calendar year. Rafael Nadal's dominance at the French Open has typically made a calendar slam impossible, but by beating Nadal and winning the French Open, Djokovic now has as good of a shot as he's ever had to accomplish this monumental feat. Djokovic has won Wimbledon five times in his career, so he should be feeling pretty confident coming into this event. He's number one in the world and is playing the best tennis of his career.
However, it should be noted that Djokovic has been in this position before. In 2016, he won both the Australian Open and French Open, but failed to win Wimbledon to keep the dream alive. He also did not win the US Open that year. So, it's far from a slam dunk that Djokovic will get the calendar slam even with an elusive French Open title under his belt. I think the biggest hurdle for Djokovic right now is the pressure that comes with chasing a calendar slam and also the physical side of it as well. I'm going to come out right now and say that I do expect Djokovic to win it all on the men's side, but it's going to be no easy task. Especially with a rested Roger Federer in the draw.
#2. Can Ashleigh Barty win it all as number one? Ashleigh Barty comes in as the number one ranked player in the world on the women's side, making her among the major contenders. However, she's never advanced past the 4th round at Wimbledon and she had a less than stellar outing at this year's French Open, exiting in the 2nd round.
If Barty wants people to take her world number one ranking seriously, she needs to win a grand slam as the world number one. When she won her lone grand slam title at the 2019 French Open, she was the #8 seed and she kinda came out of nowhere. Since being ranked number one, she hasn't won a grand slam, which is why many don't feel she's a true number one. Winning Wimbledon this year would change that perception of her for sure.
#3. Will Roger Federer's plan to pull out of the French Open pay off? As I mentioned in yesterday's French Open recap, Roger Federer made the decision to pull out of his 4th round match against Matteo Berrettini at the French Open for the purposes of saving his body for Wimbledon. It was a gutsy decision by Federer that ruffled many feathers. The only way Federer can save face with the decision is if he reaches the final or wins Wimbledon. Otherwise, the decision to pull out of the French Open will look like it wasn't worth it. It'll be interesting to see how far Federer goes and what kind of reception he'll receive at the end of the tournament.
#4. Can Serena Williams win her 8th Wimbledon and 24th grand slam? If Serena Williams wins Wimbledon, it will be her eighth Wimbledon title and her 24th grand slam title, tying Margaret Court's all-time mark. If you were to pick a place for Serena to tie Court, Wimbledon would be a pretty safe bet. She's won the event seven times before and in her last two trips to Wimbledon in 2018 and 2019 (remember there no Wimbledon last year), she lost in the final, so it kinda feels like she's due to win it again.
While she's not the top seed, Serena is seeded 6th and is overall sitting in a good position. In case you are wondering, yes, I am picking Serena to win it all this year on the women's side. She's been sitting on 23 for a while and as I said above, it just feels like she's due to get her 24th grand slam title.
#5. Can Andy Murray make some noise? Once thought to be done with his tennis career, Andy Murray is back at it and has a wild card into this year's Wimbledon. The two-time Wimbledon champion (2013 and 2016) has already accomplished far more in tennis than anyone ever thought he'd accomplish. Back when he won his first gold medal at the 2012 Olympics in London, everyone thought that would be the closest he'd ever get to winning Wimbledon or a grand slam. A few weeks later he won the US Open and came back the following year to win his first Wimbledon. So, if there's anyone who knows how to come back from the dead, it's him. Personally, I don't expect much from Murray this year, but if he could somehow find a way to get into the second week, that would be a lot of fun.
#6. Can Coco Gauff make a deep run? Coco Gauff comes in as the #20 seed and makes her first return to Wimbledon since her 2019 run to the 4th round. Gauff had a strong outing at the French Open, reaching the quarterfinals before falling to eventual champion Barbora Krejcikova. Gauff is proving that she's the real deal and that she has a very bright future in front of her. It'll be fun to see if she can build on her French Open success and past success at Wimbledon to make a real run at the championship.
#7. Can Stefanos Tsitsipas get even with Novak Djokovic? Stefanos Tsitsipas had a two-set lead on Novak Djokovic in the French Open final and failed to finish the job. Thankfully for him, he has a chance to get right back on the saddle at a grand slam and get even with Djokovic. If they were to meet, it would be in the semifinals as Tsitsipas is the #3 seed and Djokovic is the #1 seed. What a scene that would be if Tsitsipas were to be the one to upend Djokovic on his quest to a calendar slam. It would be a case of Tsitsipas giveth and he taketh away!
#8. Can Barbora Krejcikova follow up her French Open title with a Wimbledon title? Winning the French Open and Wimbledon is the hardest pair of grand slams to win back-to-back. Part of it has to do with the difference in surface and then also the fact that the two events are typically held two to three weeks apart from each other. I honestly doubt Barbora Krejcikova gets it done, but it'll be interesting to see how close she gets and whether or not she's able to translate success on the clay to grass.
#9. How far will Daniil Medvedev go? Daniil Medvedev comes in as the number two ranked player in the world behind Novak Djokovic, so he's naturally among the list of contenders on the men's side. However, he hasn't had much success at Wimbledon, never getting further than the 3rd round. If there's reason for Medvedev to have hope it's the simple fact that going into this year's French Open, he had never advanced past the 1st round and he ended up reaching the quarterfinals. So, I do expect Medvedev to be playing into the second week and possibly be on the other side of the net when Djokovic is in the final.
#10. Can Aryna Sabalenka make some noise? Aryna Sabalenka comes in as the #2 seed on the women's side and the number four ranked player in the world. So naturally she's considered a contender based on her ranking/seeding alone. However, the furthest she's gone at Wimbledon is the 2nd round back in 2017. In 2018 and 2019, she lost in the 1st round.
The furthest she's gone at a grand slam is the 4th round (2018 US Open and 2021 Australian Open), so it's fair to call her ranking/seeding into question. It'll be interesting to see if Sabalenka can silence her critics a bit with a deep run or if she'll once again flame out early. There's a lot of pressure on her for sure.
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