Wimbledon 2013 Preview

It is not since last year's Wimbledon Championships that the 'Big Four' have been present in a grand slam tournament. So this year's Championships will give a real indication of who is on the top of their game. On the men's side, first seed Novak Djokovic will go into the tournament as favourite, especially now considering he will not face any of the other top three players until the final. In the women's draw, Serena Williams will enter the tournament as runaway favourite and a chance to secure her 6th Wimbledon title. But of course things may not run smoothly as expected.

For me this year is extra special because I have been extremely lucky to win tickets from the Wimbledon ballot to watch the men's final on the 7th July. It will clearly be the biggest sporting event I have ever been too and probably ever will, unless the Fifa World Cup comes to England one day. But who will I be watching on the final day of the championships?

The draw has been extremely kind to Novak Djokovic so it will be a major shock if Novak was not to reach the final. He may face David Ferrer in the semis or even Del Potro but it's safe to suffice that Djokovic will at least be a finalist at this years Wimbledon. The bigger conundrum comes from the other half of the draw which pits Murray, Nadal, Federer and Tsonga. Last year I predicted that Federer would not win another major, but how wrong was I? Can he win it this year? I don't think so. In fact, I'll put money on it. To win this years championships, he will have to beat Nadal in the quarters, Murray in the semis and Djokovic in the final. It's doable, but it will be a feat that even the likes of Nadal may struggle with. This is why I think Andy Murray will be Djokovic's opponent in the final. Murray missed this years French Open through injury so has had plenty of time to get accustomed to the grass courts and will be much fresher compared to the other top players. His Queens victory over Marin Cillic will give him added confidence and although he has the pressure of the home crowd, Andy has been around long enough now to cope with the British support. But can Murray become the first British player to win Wimbledon since Fred Perry in 1936? Yes, albeit extremely tough. Both Murray and Djokovic are top grass court players and although Novak has won Wimbledon before, I think this year Murray's name is already on the trophy. He knows what it's like to be in the final and he will bring in his experience of winning Olympic Gold to help him against Novak. It will be a fantastic occasion if I am present for Murray to win Wimbledon, to say I was there when he won it is just something I'll never forget.

The women's game is very competitive nowadays but there is only one stand-out player who will likely claim this years championship. Serena Williams. I could leave it at that but that would be unfair to the other ladies of the game who will be out to stop the 5-time Wimbledon Champion. Notable players who can de-throne the American star are Maria Sharapova, Victoria Azarenka, Agnieska Radwanska and Petra Kvitova. A notable absentee is Venus Williams, a 5 time winner at this event. Hopefully we will see her back next year, always a player who brings something to a tournament especially at the All England Club. So it's pretty likely the final will yet again pit Serena and Maria with a similar outcome like always and Serena winning. It would be nice to see someone else win, Azarenka has definitely got the game to beat Serena, but she will have to negotiate her way through the draw first and an early hiccup may be Azarenka's downfall. Radwanska will be a future grand slam winner but while Serena is still competitive, Agnieska will have to be patient. It is also worth noting the British women. Can Laura Robson and Heather Watson make any kind of impact on the draw. Robson's first round opponent is Maria Kirilenko and to be quite honest I just can't see her winning. It is a shame that considering her ranking Laura is given such as tough first round match. She lost to Caroline Wozniacki at Eastbourne last week convincingly and although she will make Kirilenko work hard for her win, ultimately Laura's inconsistencies will be her downfall. Heather Watson has been given a kinder first round match but it's still no walkover. Madison Keys is another upcoming player and as Heather Watson is just recovering from glandular fever, it won't come as a surprise if she loses. All in all, the British women's contingent this year doesn't look good, but definitely expect a couple of surprises. Perhaps Heather Watson will make it deeper into the tournament than we expect.

Well the strawberries are in season but is this Andy Murray's season? A victory at Wimbledon will be the biggest and must illustrious of his career after a fantastic end to last year and I think sitting at the winners meal this year will be Andy and Serena. I cannot wait to see how it unfolds!