It's that time of year again as we prepare for the lush green courts of Wimbledon for the 126th edition of the Championships. Monday sees the beginning of the main draw of both the men's and women's singles as players battle it out for the third Grand Slam of the year. This year looks set to be one of the most exciting years of tennis with the Olympics taking place a few weeks after the end of the Championships making this the longest grass court season of the open era. As part of my preview I'm going to look at ten players from the men's draw and ten from the women's draw that will be looking to make a huge impact. So my first post is starting with the men's singles so let's look at those players now.
1. Novak Djokovic. The Serbian comes into Wimbledon with his world ranking under threat for the first time since last year's event having lost at the French Open to Rafael Nadal. As defending champion Novak will have the honour of opening proceedings on centre court on Monday as he looks to regain control of his rivalry with Nadal. Djokovic won the title last year in impressive style and his flat shots will be tough to beat on the grass courts. Novak isn't unbeatable on these courts though. If players can dominate their serve and play aggressively then they have a chance to take sets off him. The problem is they can't take three out of five. Djokovic will be anxious to get another victory over Rafa but to do so he has to make the final here. With Nadal having won three of their last meetings it's important for the sake of their competitive rivalry that Djokovic steps up and improve his game, just like Nadal did to finally get over Novak. I think Djokovic is good enough to adapt but the question is how does he do it? It will be interesting to watch how he tries to achieve his success here. Djokovic is certainly one of the main contenders for the title here.
2. Rafael Nadal. The Spaniard is looking to return to the top of the rankings and regain his Wimbledon crown and he certainly has momentum on his side. After picking up his seventh French Open crown he is closing in on Federer's Grand Slam record. Nadal has adapted his game to cope with Djokovic's dominance last year and it's worked wonders for him. He looked better than ever on the clay and is now even more difficult to beat. Nadal lost in Halle to Kohlschreiber but I wouldn't read too much into it. It was very soon after his Roland Garros crown and he wouldn't have been at his best. The few days of rest he took back home will have helped him recover and he should be fully prepared for Wimbledon. It would be a massive victory for Nadal if he were to win the title here but he faces major competition with a number of players looking at possible success here. Nadal is right up there with Djokovic as the main contender for the crown.
3. Roger Federer. Roger is coming into this event having lost in the final of Halle to veteran Tommy Haas which was a minor blip in his preparations. I expect Roger to be playing with a real freedom here as his main goal this Summer is on winning the gold at the Olympics which is also on grass. So Roger will be playing himself into top form here and won't be putting as much pressure on himself which might make him even more dangerous. Roger hasn't won a Grand Slam since the 2010 Australian Open and that's too long for a player with his talent and desire. The problem with the Swiss star is I don't think he has the two big games required to win majors anymore. Those big games are against Nadal and Djokovic successively. This tournament might be his best and possibly last remaining chance to do so. I think Roger is very dangerous here and is definitely third favourite if not joint favourite with Novak and Rafa.
4. Thomas Berdych. This is a guy that has improved dramatically over the past few seasons. He is now a danger at all tournament to all players. He is fully established as a top 10 player and I expect him to go one step further and break into the top five. We used to have the top four dominating all tournaments but we don't have that anymore and it's because of players like Berdych that the game has evolved and become more competitive. Thomas is a tall man with a big serve and carries a powerful forehand that will worry the very best. I expect Berdych to at least make another Grand Slam final in his career having done so already here at Wimbledon. Whether or not he can go a step further and win a major is another question but he is one of the players that deserves one for the progression and desire he has shown throughout his career. Nobody will want to face the Czech star during this tournament and I think he might be a dark horse.
5. Marin Cilic. Not many people will see this man as a threat but I really think he might be in for a big tournament. Cilic looked like he was on the verge of breaking through a couple of seasons ago but he fell away but he is now starting to play more like the player we saw win seven ATP titles and reach the semi final of the 2010 Australian Open. The past few months has seen him return to some form with a final appearance in Munich and win the title in Queens club albeit in controversial circumstances. Cilic has a big serve and some huge ground strokes and if he fully utilises his power he might just make a good run at this tournament and make a mark on the Grand Slam stage again, like we know he can. I don't think he can win Wimbledon but he has the ability to go into the second week.
6. Milos Raonic. It's no secret that this is a guy I really like and I'm certain that he will win multiple Grand Slams. Since bursting on to the scene last year he has jumped right up the rankings and by the end of the season I expect him to be in the top 10. So far this season he's beaten Andy Murray and he's pushed Federer very close on three occasions. It's only a matter of time before he causes some big shocks at the Grand Slams. A fourth round meeting with Murray is likely here and that's a chance for him to have a big win over a top five player over five sets. He has a monstrous serve and some very impressive ground strokes and he great movement for a man of his height. Wimbledon will suit him perfectly and it's tough to see how players can break him down on this surface without playing outstanding. Federer beat him 7-6 in the third in Halle and I think Roger won't want to play him too often more this season. I think Raonic has the potential to go deep into the second week and I hope he does his talent justice and shows the world what he can do.
7. John Isner. This man has some wonderful memories of Wimbledon having won the longest match in tennis history here against Nicolas Mahut a few years back. This year he comes in slightly under the radar with no competitive practice leading into Wimbledon. I think the American is in for a massive tournament. He was outstanding in the first few months of the year beating Djokovic and Federer in Davis Cup action and during the American hard court swing. Unfortunately for John the clay court season came up next and he lost a bit of his momentum. I think Isner might finally be ready to make the step up and go deep into a Grand Slam tournament. With his power he should be right at home on the grass and I expect him to cause one or two shocks along the way even if he isn't quite ready to win Wimbledon. John has a potential rematch with Mahut in round two but if he can get through that (quickly this time) then he can go very far. I'm looking forward to seeing John's progress over the next few months starting with a good run at Wimbledon.
8. Juan Martin Del Potro. This man should have been in the French Open semi final. He was robbed by injury against Federer having been two sets up before struggling with his knee injury which finally caught up with him. If he's fully recovered now then he will be looking forward to Wimbledon. Nobody ever puts pressure on Delpo here. He's often written off because of his poor movement on the surface but with the shot making ability he has he can compensate for it. We saw him compete with Rafa last year until he got injured and that's enough for me to believe he has the potential to go deep here too. Were still waiting for Delpo to make his mark on the tour again and this year has been a big step for him. Nobody could doubt he has the talent but it's a question of whether he has the appetite to and desire to push on and establish himself at the top of the game again. I think he will win more majors and maybe he will win Wimbledon at some stage but not this year, this year is about going as far as he can and building on that in the coming months.
9. Mardy Fish. This guy has had some shocking results this year and won't expected to do much at all here. However, I'm confident he can play some good tennis here and rediscover the sort of form that saw him make it to the top ten. He plays a nice brand of serve and volley tennis which could see him upset a few players. He takes time away from players and it's tough to know when he's coming in and when he's staying back which leaves constant doubt in opponents mind. The main reason I'm picking him is because I can't see him being beaten in the fist three rounds as I don't think the players he faces early are capable of beating him here, with the possible exception of Bernard Tomic. He can build up some momentum before a fourth round clash with Tsonga or Wawrinka which he would be more than capable of winning. This could go either way, he could flop and lose early again or he could do what I think is more likely and that's have a good run here before heading on to his favoured American hard courts.
10. Tommy Haas. The German is back yet again at Wimbledon on the back of a great run of tournaments. At 34 he still manages to motivate himself to play at such a high level. He may be getting older but his talent is just as prominent as it was a decade ago. Watching him in Halle two weeks ago will have reminded everyone of how dangerous he is. A stunning run of wins over Berdych, Kohlschreiber (who had beaten Nadal, and who he meets in the first round here) and then a magnificent final win over Federer saw him lift his 13th tour title. After winning in Halle a few years back beating Djokovic that time he went on to have his best run at Wimbledon. This year he would face Nadal in round three but I don't think Haas can be ruled out of that one. He could very easily upset the Spaniard if he plays at the level he has shown lately. This season has been a good one for Haas as he moves ever closer to 500 wins on tour and he has already beaten plays such as Tsonga, Baghdatis, Tomic and Granollers. I think we'll see a good performance from Haas and possibly a few upsets along the way.
So there the ten players I've picked to watch out for at Wimbledon and I'm sure we'll see the winner come out of that group. Other top players who might have good runs but I don't think will threaten the top players could be Andy Murray, Janko Tipsarevic, David Ferrer and Richard Gasquet. I don't see any of those coming close to winning the title but they might have a few good wins to show for their efforts. I think this year will be a very exciting tournament with a number of strong contenders. We can expect to see some very high quality tennis and some brilliant matches and I'm sure many upsets in the next fortnight.
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