2009 Wimbledon Men’s Preview
It would be hard pressed to say that the final at Wimbledon will feature anyone different from the last 3 years. That is not really a bad thing since the matchup is so great and the players are so superb. Many people, even the great and not-so-humble John McEnroe, called last year’s final the greatest match ever played. Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer have met in the final for the last 3 years. The two of them hold 20 Grand Slam titles, and, were it not for each other, they would hold more.
Rafael Nadal, number 1 in the world and the number 1 seed at Wimbledon, looked unstoppable for the last year, until beaten by Federer in Madrid in May. Nadal will be looking to avenge his untimely and shocking loss in Paris. To repeat as champion at the All England Club, he will have to be healthy, which is a question since he did not play in any warm-up tournaments due to an injury. Still, the defending champ is the one to beat.
Roger Federer, fresh off his French Open victory, hopes to regain his dominance on the grass courts. Until last year’s final against Nadal, Federer had won 65 grass-court matches in a row, including 40 straight at Wimbledon. Federer, tied for the most Grand Slam titles in history (14) would like nothing better than to unbreak the tie while reclaiming his spot as the number 1 player in the world, a spot he held for 237 consecutive weeks. For some, Federer will only cement his claim to “Greatest Ever” by beating Nadal.
Andy Murray, number 3 in the world, has beaten both Nadal and Federer lately. From Scotland, Murray is facing the pressure of all of Great Britain to win the biggest title of the sport. No Briton has won the Wimbledon title since 1936. Murray has a good chance, winning 5 titles last year, second only to Nadal (8).
Number 4 seed, Novak Djokovic is a wild card. It is hard to know which player will show up on court, the amazing shot-maker or the injured pouter. When he is on, Djokovic is capable of beating anyone, and has beaten Nadal, Federer, and Murray. A change of racquet sponsor at the beginning of the year has not turned out well for him, and he slipped behind Murray in the standings.
American hopeful, Andy Roddick, came into this season leaner and meaner. Well, maybe not meaner as he seems rejuvenated and has been moving up in the rankings. Roddick, best on fast courts, went farther than ever at the French Open, ultimately losing to Federer. Roddick seems to be making a strong effort to win another major. The grass surface may suit him just fine.
Marat Safin will give it his all in his final Wimbledon appearance. Safin announced he will retire following this year. He will play his heart out to win just one more Slam. He made it to the semi-finals last year and will try to go even further this time around.
Other hopefuls include Gilles Simon and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, frenchmen who have tremendous potential. Juan Martin Del Potro, Fernando Verdasco, and Fernando Gonzalez are all seeded in the top-10.
