http://nickstennispicks.com/2008/06/18/nicks-2008-wimbledon-preview/
Nick’s Picks will have complete coverage of Wimbledon 2008, and we are
teaming with Tennis Week to provide in-depth analysis throughout the
tournament!
Wimbledon will always hold a special place in my heart. It is the location of
so many great memories, from Agassi’s win in 1992 to Serena’s title in 2002
to Sharapova’s victory in 2004. I love the atmosphere and the fans. No where
else will you see people waiting in line for hours, in the cold rainy
weather, just to get a ticket! Also, there is no better spot at any tennis
tournament in the world to watch a match from then Henman Hill. You can eat,
drink, talk, and lie down all while you are enjoying the matches. It just
doesn’t get any better than that!
This will be the first year in quite some time that I will not be attending,
due to the birth of my new grandson, Hudson Nicholas! And just like Wimbledon
is getting a new roof, he is getting a new name. I am going to call him “
Nicholas Hudson,” and I think you know why! While I may not be there in
person, I will definitely be in spirit. You better believe that I will be
working with The Independent newspaper daily, doing Wimbledon Radio every
morning, and updating my blog constantly with picks and information. I am
really looking forward to this year’s tournament, so let’s talk about some
of the big stories surrounding the event.
Every year there are questions about different players coming into Wimbledon,
but this year the biggest questions surround Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Ana
Ivanovic, and Venus Williams. Can Federer regain the mystique that made him
the best over the last five years? Can Nadal breakthrough and win a Grand
Slam on a surface other than on clay? Can Ivanovic continue her great play
and win another Grand Slam title? Can Venus repeat? We don’t know the
answers yet, but we will soon.
For the last four or five years, Federer has been without question the best
player on tour, and quite possibly the best player in the history of the
game. Well, 2008 has not been kind to him. This year more than ever before,
Federer needs to win Wimbledon. Coming into 2008 many people thought he could
win the Golden Slam - the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, US Open,
and the gold medal at the Olympics - well we know that is not going to
happen. He lost in the semis in Australia and then was soundly defeated by
Nadal in the finals at Roland Garros. In my mind, Federer is still the man to
beat, but if he doesn’t win Wimbledon there are going to be more and more
questions about his play.
On the other hand, if Nadal is able to continue playing like he has in the
last month, he may be able to make the claim that he is now the best player
in the world. He is on an unbelievable run, winning the French Open in the
fashion that he did, and then capturing his first career grass court title at
Queen’s Club right after. Last year he came very close to beating Federer,
and I don’t think there is any doubt that he is playing even better tennis
this year. The question I have is will his body hold up? If you remember, he
had knee problems during the summer and latter portion of 2007 because of all
the matches he has played. Well, this year he has already played 56 matches
so we will have to see if that has any effect on him this year.
If it isn’t Federer or Nadal, the obvious first option for the favorite is
definitely Djokovic. He had Nadal on the ropes in the first set in the finals
at Queen’s Club, but couldn’t close it out. If he wants to win this title
he cannot let those kinds of opportunities slip away from him. After Djokovic
you have guys like Ferrer, Davydenko, Roddick, Nalbandian, Blake, Gasquet,
Murray, etc. Out of those men, Roddick, if healthy, has the best chance of
being a serious threat. Let’s not forget about my man Xavier Malisse (who
has trained at the Academy since he was a boy). When he was young, he was
picked by so many to be a top player, but he never reached those lofty goals.
Recently, he has had some serious injuries, and that has caused his ranking
to fall to #229 in the world. Well, he received a wild card into Wimbledon
(where he reached the semis in 2002), and when he is in the groove he can
beat anyone. Good luck Xavier! Also, watch out for some of the young guys
like Ernests Gulbis, Gael Monfils, and Thomaz Bellucci. While they probably
will not win the tournament, it is also fun to watch the next wave of
promising stars.
The talk of the town on the women’s side is Ana Ivanovic. She has to be the
favorite based on the way she is playing right now. Coming off of her first
career Grand Slam title, she is busting with confidence and that is a good
thing for women’s tennis. She is also the newly anointed #1 player in the
world, and with that comes positives and negatives. Primarily, she will now
have to deal with the pressure of being the lady everyone is out to beat. It
will be interesting to see how that unfolds over the rest of 2008.
One thing is for sure, I don’t expect the Williams’ sisters to crash out
early like they did in Paris. They were both on Ivanovic’s side of the draw,
and she ended up not having to play either of them. Well, to win this title
she is going to have to be prepared to beat both of them. Oh yes, don’t
forget about Maria Sharapova either. She found herself on the wrong side of
the Dinara Safina train on the clay, but that is certainly not her favorite
surface. The grass suits her game extremely well (see 2004 Wimbledon), and
she has already beaten Ivanovic in the finals of one Grand Slam this year as
well. Never, ever count Maria out until the final ball is hit.
Speaking of Safina, she is part of a very strong Russian contingent ranked in
the top 20 along with the aforementioned Sharapova, Svetlana Kuznetsova,
Elena Dementieva, Anna Chakvetadze, Vera Zvonareva, and Maria Kirilenko. All
of them have a good shot at making deep runs into the tournament, and I would
say at least four of five of them will be around late into the second week.
Two other top players not to forget about are Jelena Jankovic and Lindsay
Davenport. Jankovic was oh so close to becoming the 10th #1 player that I
have worked with, and she is currently the #2 ranked player in the world. She
plays well on just about every surface, but Wimbledon is the one Grand Slam
where she has yet to get to at least the quarterfinals. I know there is a
strong possibility that she will accomplish that feat and maybe even more
this year. Also, don’t discount Lindsay Davenport. I know she hasn’t played
in two months and she just withdrew at Eastbourne, but she is a former
champion here and the last time she graced these courts (2005) she reached
the finals. Her game fits in perfectly with the grass, but her movement is
going to be the key during the fortnight. The longer the matches go, the more
problems she is going to have.
A couple of young players I will be keeping my eye on are Alize Cornet,
Caroline Wozniacki, Dominika Cibulkova, and NBTA student Sabine Lisicki.
Cornet and Wozniacki have proven this year that they are going to be around
for a while and can compete with the best in the world. Cibulkova has yet to
make herself a household name, but I think she has the talent to be a top
player. A good showing here would be a great start. Finally, Lisicki has
played extremely well in the big tournaments for her first year on the tour.
She reached the third round in Australia (beating Safina), the fourth round
in Miami (beating Chakvetadze), and she beat Davenport in Fed Cup play. The
hard, faster courts play right into her game style.
Overall, I am really looking forward to the start of this tournament. There
are so many good storylines, and there is not a better place in the world for
them to play out then the hallowed grounds of Wimbledon!
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