A Wimbledon up for grabs

Wimbledon tradition requires the defending champion to open the Championships by playing the first match on Centre Court. When Andy Murray steps on the lush greenery of the hallowed turf, it flags off a Wimbledon whose outcome is unpredictable. The results of the warm-up tournaments solidify the uncertainty. In the Ladies’ Event, the defending champion, Serena Williams is absent, leaving an open field with palpable danger for the top two seeds.

The French Open champion, Rafael Nadal was conspicuously absent in all the grass-court warm-ups. Was he resting from an exhaustive clay court campaign, or practicing, away from tournaments to avoid injury? Federer won in Halle in a one-sided final against (opponent). Murray faded out in the first round of his favourite venue where he was seeking a fourth title. Thereafter there were “injury” rumours that have cast a pall over his fitness even at the eleventh hour. Djokovic got into the Draw in Eastbourne as a Wild Card and won in his first ever warm-up grass event. His performance against Monfils in the finals would boost his confidence in delivery and return of serve on the slippery grass.

In the warm-up events, Wimbledon top seed, Angelique Kerber did not win any title. She survived possible upsets in Eastbourne before losing to the eventual winner Karolina Pliskova. Simona Halep had recovered from her shock defeat in Paris Finals to play well but lost in Eastbourne to Konta. Caroline Wozniacki had an impressive run to the finals before losing in straight sets.

Roger Federer leads the hopefuls among the old guard. He was masterly in Halle; especially in the semi-finals and the title match against Alexander Zverev. Given his experience on grass (7 Wimbledons) and his sufficient but not exhausting preparation, the Swiss Maestro might take his 18th Grandslam. Rafael Nadal comes to London keeping everyone guessing but is a reliable competitor that cannot be excluded from the list of potential winners. Marin Cilic had the first match point in Queens and was within two points in the final set tie breaker which he lost to Feliciano Lopez.

However, he expressed satisfaction with his grass-court play and is fit for the contest ahead in a tournament where he broke into the spotlight as a finalist at age 17. The Canadian Milos Raonic is a likely contender, drawing on his experience of reaching the finals last year.

Who are the potential winners in the next generation of male players? Leading the next generation hopefuls is Germany’s Alexander Zverev who won in Stuttgart Germany. His running mate and highly talented Dominic Thiem from Austria did not have an impressive outcome in the warm-up events. The winner in Antalya Yuichi Sugita has expressed confidence his performance on grass the surface and may achieve upsets. Although he lost a close quarter-final match to Marcos Baghdatis in Antalya, India’s Ramkumar Ramanathan is a player to watch. For both of these two rising stars, their reach depends on their placement in the Draw.

In the Ladies’ event, third seeded Karolina Pliskova, the lanky powerful player from Czech Republic, has the arsenal and temperament to lift the Champions Tray in two weeks’ time. The top seeded Angelique Kerber will go far but does not have the power to reach the finishing line. Romania’s Simona Halep has an opportunity to register her first Grand Slam. The other ladies with title potential are Caroline Wozniacki and Petra Kvitova who was the surprise winner in Birmingham. As for the next generation, will the French Open Champion, Jelena Ostapenko, give the world a surprise, with a great outing at this year’s Wimbledon?