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Wimbledon Men’s Singles 2017 – Eight to Watch

Jul 2nd 2017

The hunt for the 2017 Men’s Singles title at Wimbledon looks set to feature all the usual suspects from the Big Four, but who is most likely to come out on top? And who else in the draw is capable of going all the way at SW19? These are the eight players you should keep your eye on this fortnight:

Roger Federer

What a year it has been for Roger Federer. He has won the Australian Open, the Sunshine Double (Indian Wells and Miami) and his ninth Halle title, while only losing two matches. He is a supreme grass court player, possibly the greatest ever, and has to be considered the favorite for glory.

Roger Federer

Perhaps the thing most likely to derail the Swiss is his draw. He faces a tricky opener against Alexandr Dolgopolov, a possible third round clash with serve-and-volley specialist Mischa Zverev, and a potential fourth round epic against Grigor Dimitrov. All these matches could be banana skins, but Federer’s biggest test of all may await him in the quarter-final as he is seeded to face the man who beat him last year: Milos Raonic.

Andy Murray

The Brit’s most difficult opponent this fortnight may be his own body. He has declared himself fit to play, but if his sore hip causes him too much pain at any point in the tournament, it may affect his tennis. If his injury does not affect him, he will likely reach at least the semi-final stage and probably play either Rafael Nadal or Marin Cilic. At that point, it will be up to Murray to play at his best to reach the final. If he does, we could see a Championship bout between the top two grass court players in the draw: Federer and Murray.

Rafael Nadal

Although he has won the Wimbledon title twice and been the runner-up on three occasions, grass still feels like Nadal’s nemesis. This impression comes from four consecutive early losses between 2012 and 2015 to Lukas Rosol, Steve Darcis, Nick Kyrgios and Dustin Brown respectively.

Rafael Nadal

However, the Spaniard’s amazing form during the clay season may give him sufficient confidence and momentum to power through the draw and win his third title at the All England Club. But can he beat grass-court specialists like Federer and Murray if they play their best?

Novak Djokovic

You would have been forgiven for writing off Djokovic’s chances of winning Wimbledon after hearing his press conference that followed his thrashing by Dominic Thiem in the French Open quarter-final. The Serb seemed lost and indicated that he was considering taking a break from the sport. Instead, he entered the grass-court tournament at Eastbourne for the first time ever and ended up taking home the title without dropping a set. In the process, he gave himself the perfect preparation for Wimbledon and suddenly looks like a contender again. His doubts could resurface though if he is put under pressure by an inspired opponent.

Marin Cilic

After reaching three consecutive Wimbledon quarter-finals, the Croatian is the tournament’s ‘Mr. Consistent’. He came very close to going a step further last year when he had match points against Federer and will be determined to reach at least the last four this time around.

Marin Cilic

To do that, he may have to beat Nadal in the last eight, but he can do it because he is a very good grass court player – as he demonstrated by reaching the semi-final in Hertogenbosch and the final at Queen’s. If he does make it that far, he will be gunning for the title.

Milos Raonic

Speaking to Metro Newspaper in the UK, Raonic said, “I think (Wimbledon) is the one (Grand Slam) I’ve had the best chance at so far.” Considering the Canadian’s greatest strength is his huge serve, it is not surprising he feels this way, but it is often overlooked that he has an ever-improving all-around game. Raonic played superbly to reach the 2016 final, and would dearly love to lift the trophy this time around. To achieve that aim, he may have to beat Federer for the second year in a row as the pair are due to meet in the quarter-final.

Grigor Dimitrov

Fans of the Bulgarian must find him a frustrating player to follow as he can be brilliant one week and hopeless the next. ‘Baby Fed’, as he was once know, is one of the most talented players on the ATP tour, but he is yet to achieve the kind of breakthrough triumph that would propel him to the top six in the world rankings.

Grigor Dimitrov

So far, Dimitrov has reached two Grand Slam semi-finals and, considering that one of those was at Wimbledon in 2014 and one was earlier this year at the Australian Open, he should certainly be considered a dark horse at SW19 this fortnight.

Nick Kyrgios

Although his on-court tantrums upset some people, Kyrgios is arguably the most exciting talent on the men’s tour. He can play pretty much any shot you can imagine, has a thunderous serve and possesses lightning reflexes.  The Australian reached the quarter-final in his debut appearance at Wimbledon in 2014 and, whatever stage he gets to this time, his matches are bound to be entertaining. Can he achieve the kind of results he is capable of with his exceptional abilities?