The start of Wimbledon is just a scant few days away, and as usual, there is ample speculation about who the favorites are and how they will perform at this year's edition of The Championships.  But as interesting as it may be to discuss the favorites, looking at those who need, rather than are expected to make a splash in London can be just as entertaining.  They are all top players and all decorated champions, who could desperately use a solid run at Wimbledon to turn around their 2017 seasons.

Perhaps the most obvious candidate at the top of that list is Novak Djokovic.  It was at this venue a year ago where his downward spiral began after crashing out to Sam Querrey in the third round. He has endured plenty of ups and downs since then and has yet to right the ship in 2017.  His quarterfinal exit at Roland Garros earlier this month saw him slide to Number 4 in the rankings, but what was more troubling was the way he lost that match. He was never able to grab or maintain any momentum, and he meekly surrendered the third set without winning a single game.  The level of play Dominic Thiem brought to the table deserves a lot of credit for that scoreline, but that third set, in particular, highlighted a lack of drive and sense of resignation in Djokovic that has not been seen in several years.  The good news for the Serb is that he is finally playing with less pressure now that he has reached a point where he has less to defend.  He also has Andre Agassi in his corner who knows a thing or two about overcoming the lows to rise back up to the top.  And lastly, Djokovic is a two-time Wimbledon Champion, who has done well at the All England Club for the better part of a decade.  By his own admission, he is hardly a favorite to win a third title here, but of those who need a good showing, he is arguably the one sitting prettiest.

Like Djokovic, Angelique Kerber has suffered a dip in form that has left everyone, the German included, scratching their heads.  Some of it may be due to trying to live up to expectations following a career-year in 2016, but that would be somewhat surprising given the way she continued to back up her Australian Open victory throughout the remainder of last season.  Maybe she feels pressure to live up to her top ranking, a spot she currently maintains thanks to a combination of the absences of Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova, and Victoria Azarenka, as well as a lack of consistency from the other top players in the WTA.  If that is the case, she may be somewhat helped by the spotlight shifting a little to Petra Kvitova and Azarenka, but that will not relieve all the pressure.  She is still defending a finalist appearance here and a number of points heading into the summer hard court season.  She needs to gain some traction here on the grass or she could continue to fall further off the mark and suffer a dismal summer.

Dismal is one word that Andy Murray might use to describe his 2017.  The Scot is currently ranked world no. 1, but like Djokovic, he has been playing well below his ranking.  To his credit, he somehow managed to find his best in Paris, where his semifinal against Stan Wawrinka developed into one of the best matches of Roland Garros, but any momentum he gained from that run quickly evaporated after his shocking opening-match loss at Queen's.  Concerns have only grown following Murray's decision to withdraw from two pre-Wimbledon exhibitions due to a sore hip.  The other issue facing Murray is that it was here last season where he won his second Wimbledon title that then jump-started his phenomenal assault on the back half of 2016, which propelled him to Number 1 in the rankings.  He has little-to-no margin for error from here on out, especially since he failed to gain any ground the front half of 2017.  If Murray is going to get his game in gear and wants to back up what he accomplished in 2016, it is imperative that he make a move at his native slam.

Suffice it to say, there is plenty for everyone to play for once Wimbledon gets underway, but these three should look to be the hungriest and most determined of the lot.  One tournament does not make or break a player, but that does not mean a single event cannot have a significant bearing on a player's immediate future and its ramifications in the months to come.  For that reason, these three players better find some way or somehow to wage a successful Wimbledon campaign.