Fred Perry was the last British tennis player to successfully defend a grand slam title and coincidentally it was at Wimbledon in 1936. So this year, there is a new question for the British media to mull over; can Andy Murray become the first British player to defend a grand slam title since Fred Perry in 1936?
Andy Murray opens proceedings on Centre Court at 1pm on Monday afternoon, facing a tricky opponent in David Goffin. The Belgian has been tipped to be a future prospect in the tennis world and will no doubt fancy his chances against the defending champion. Whether nerves will play a part in Murray's opening match is hard to tell, but the Scot is bound to feel a mixture of emotions when coming back out onto Centre Court. The vociferous crowd will no doubt be behind him once again and it's this support that Murray revels in. Contrary to last year Murray has been drawn in the same half as last year's runner-up and No.1 seed Novak Djokovic. This means that the two could meet in the semi-finals with a potential final against No. 2 seed Rafael Nadal up for grabs. But Wimbledon wouldn't be Wimbledon without the upsets, and on the most unpredictable surface of the four slams, whose the most likely to succumb to early pressure?
It's safe to say that both Murray and Djokovic have been the most consistent players in grand slams in recent years. The Serb has reached the quarter-finals or better since Wimbledon 2009 - a third round defeat at the French Open in 2009 preventing the tally from going further back - Whereas Murray has made the quarter-finals or better since his third round exit at the US Open in 2010. So an early upset for these guys looks highly unlikely, but of course, stranger things have happened at Wimbledon. The other players in the quartet of the 'big four' look a little vulnerable on the grass of SW19. Last year Rafa lost in the first round and Roger fell in the second round so both will want to make amends for their disappointing grass-court season last year. Nadal isn't safe against any player on grass, his performance at Wimbledon over the last few years shows this and the early rounds are where Nadal is most susceptible to defeat. Although Rafa will probably negotiate his way through his first round opponent in 51st seed Martin Klizan, it's the second round where things start to get interesting. Lukas Rosol who powered past the Spaniard in the second round at Wimbledon in 2012 could stand in his way and although Nadal will no doubt have a new game-plan against the Czech I do feel there is another possible upset here. But Rosol will also have a tricky opponent himself, up against Benoit Paire, meaning that either player that Nadal faces will cause issues in the second round. It's also worth noting that if Nadal does overcome his first two obstacles, a third round encounter with big serving Croat Ivo Karlovic looks an extremely daunting prospect. These are the kind of players that no top player will want to face so early on in the tournament, but if Nadal wants to test his grass-court credentials, then this is the perfect way to showcase that. If the 14 time grand slam champion does negotiate his way through these early rounds, then it's safe to suffice that Nadal will most likely reach the business end of the tournament.
Roger on the other-hand will be the "underdog" out of the 'big four', but considering he's won Wimbledon seven times you still can't rule out the Swiss. He's come to London on the back of another grass-court title at Halle in Germany, so Federer will be expected to build on that confidence booster ahead of his first round match with Italy's Paolo Lorenzi. Although Federer probably does have the easier half of the draw compared to his main rivals, he still has some potential matches that may cause some problems. A second round tie with Frenchman Julien Benneteau is bound to be a challenge for Federer. Two years ago at Wimbledon, Benneteau held match points over the Swiss but failed to convert any of them and subsequently lost the match. How that previous encounter will play on both players minds will be interesting to see unravel over the course of their potential encounter. The highest seed in Federer's half is compatriot Stanislas Wawrinka, who will be eager to make up for his disastrous campaign at the French Open last month falling at the first round hurdle. What to expect of Wawrinka this time around is hard to predict, the 5th seed has lost in the first and second round at Wimbledon since 2009 when he reached the fourth round. A possible third round match against Queen's runner-up Feliciano Lopez could be as far as Stan goes in this year's tournament.
The last outsider to win Wimbledon was Goran Ivanisevic in 2001. The Croat was a wildcard and although he had a reputation of being a top grass-court player having been a three time runner-up at Wimbledon, nobody expected the injury plagued giant to win in 2001. Although it is extremely unlikely that a wildcard will win this year's title - Marcos Baghdatis is one of a number of wildcards this year and was runner-up at the Australian Open in 2006 - there are a few players outside the top four who a worth a bet on lifting the title. The biggest of which is Grigor Dimitrov, who only a few weeks ago lifted the Queen's Club trophy with a hard fought three set victory over Feliciano Lopez. Nicknamed 'Baby Fed' in reference to Roger Federer, the Bulgarian is a 20/1 shot (6th favourite behind Wawrinka and the top four) to lift the Wimbledon title and it's hard to argue with those odds. Although his grand slam records aren't great, he did reach the quarter-finals of the Australian Open this year and it just feels that this year is the year that Grigor Dimitrov can announce himself to the tennis world. That's not to say to gain that recognition he needs to win the title, but if you look at the likes of Eugenie Bouchard on the women's tour, she has made the semi-finals of both grand slam events this year and now every tennis fan knows who she is and that she is a threat to the top players. This sentiment should be the same for Dimitrov, but he needs to make that grand slam breakthrough. A potential quarter-final match with Murray would be the best way for Dimitrov to enter the upper echelons of the male tour and if he could somehow find a way to beat the defending Wimbledon Champion, that's when you can start writing history. The Bulgarian does however have a difficult first round match against American Ryan Harrison, but with the win at Queen's behind him, confidence is sure to be high for the 11th seed. The only other outsider who will feel that they can make an impact at Wimbledon is Canadian Milos Raonic. The big serving 8th seed is perfectly suited to the grass-courts at SW19 and although he has had poor showings at Wimbledon in the past, the Canadian's game has definitely become more consistent over the last year and his impressive performance against Djokovic at the quarters of the French Open last month means there is optimism for a stellar run this year. He also has a favourable draw, so I can see Raonic making the quarter-finals at least, where Rafa Nadal will potentially await; a match that the Canadian will feel he can win.
It's still hard to see anyone other than the top four lifting the trophy this year. Although I have touted Dimitrov and Raonic to go far, I still can't see them overcoming any of the grand slam champions. Winning these events is all about experience at the highest level and these two just don't have it. That's why it is imperative for both of them to reach the latter stages and gain that experience to take into next year when the top four's dominance will begin to weaken. It's a shame that there is no Juan Martin Del Potro this year, who is out with injury. The match against Novak in last year's semi-finals was a fantastic performance from both players. Del Potro is always someone I feel can add to his sole grand slam title, the same cannot be said of Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Tomas Berdych. Two players who have both made a grand slam final once each, but have failed to live up to their potential of actually winning one. They both have great grass-court play so I do expect them to reach the latter stages, but nothing again will come of it.
This is set to be a fantastic fortnight of tennis action and without a clear winner for the title it also looks to be an exciting one too. Having been the two most consistent players of recent years, both Djokovic and Murray should be contesting the semi-finals and I think the winner of that match will win the final. I have to say that Djokovic will probably be the most determined to win a slam and end his drought since his title at the Australian Open in 2013, so he has to be favourite. I still can't see Nadal negotiating his way through the opening rounds and his first round loss on the grass-courts of Halle prove that Nadal's game is just not suitable for the green stuff anymore. Federer has a great opportunity for winning an unprecedented 18th slam title. His draw is comfortable and if Nadal was to lose early on, the Swiss will be confident that he could actually make the final.
Men's Champion: Novak Djokovic
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