Tennis: Wimbledon Draw 2011

The draw for Wimbledon 2011 took place today with the pick of the matches being Nicolas Mahut v John Isner, a rematch of last year’s record-breaking epic. Whilst it is doubtful this match will get even close to the the 11hr 5minute mark, it is as good a match as any to mark the start of the most prestigious tournament in the tennis calendar.


Home favourite Andy Murray was drawn against Spaniard Daniel Gimeno-Traver. Murray will be looking to go one better than his last two visits to SW19 and become the first Brit to make it to the Wimbledon final since Fred Perry in 1936. With the British number 1 having a very realistic chance of even winning the event, we take a look at the main challengers for the Wimbledon crown:

Rafael Nadal No.1 seed - previous best: Champion ‘08 and ‘10

World number 1 for over a year now, winner of his last two Wimbledon’s (he missed 2009 due to injury) and also reigning US and French Open champion, it is perhaps surprising that Nadal only enters this tournament as marginal favourite. His victory at the French Open earlier this month was his 10^th Slam victory and once again showed he has the edge in his great rivalry with Roger Federer.

Opponents can take hope from his recent surprise grass court defeat at Queens to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and he has also been beaten in 4 finals already this year by Novak Djokovic.  

Problems en route to Murray in the semis? Nadal’s draw is not easy by any means, with possible clashes against rising star Milos Raonic in the 3^rd round, 2009 US Open Champion Juan Martin Del Potro in the 4^th round and, in a repeat of last year’s final, sixth seed Tomas Berdych in the quarter-finals. It would still be a huge shock not to see Nadal in the semis.

Roger Federer No.3 seed - previous best: Champion ’03, ’04, ’05, ’06, ’07 and ’09

Two years ago, Federer won his sixth Wimbledon title to set a new record of 15 Grand Slam victories and was proclaimed by many as the greatest player of all time.

However, he has since been in decline. His last Slam victory was at the 2010 Australian Open (meaning he is currently in his longest Slam drought since he first won Wimbledon in 2003) and his performance in last year’s Wimbledon was lacklustre at best as he needed 5 sets to defeat the unseeded Alessandro Falla in the 1st round, before falling in the quarter-finals to eventual runner-up, Berdych.

Yet one should count against Federer at their peril; he is still capable of destroying most players on the tour and his record at Wimbledon will stand as one of the greatest of all time. His recent performances at the French Open, particularly his victory over Djokovic in the semi-final, were also imperious. And a few more victories over Nadal would do no harm to the claims that he is the game’s greatest ever exponent.

Problems en route to Djokovic in the semis? On paper, Federer’s route seems fairly straight-forward. David Nalbandian in the 3^rd round and Tsonga in the quarter-finals could be tricky opponents, but do not expect to see Federer drop more than one or two sets en route to the semi-finals.

Novak Djokovic No.2 seed - previous best: Semi-Final ’10

Having set a 41 match winning streak in 2011, it is perhaps a testament to the strength of Nadal and Federer, that Djokovic only starts as third favourite going into the tournament. His performances this year have been unplayable at times and his only defeat came at the hands of an inspired Federer at the French Open. Due to his 2011 performances, which have included winning the second Slam of his career at the Australian Open, he just needs to match Nadal’s performance at Wimbledon to be crowned the world number 1 for the first time. But, it should be noted that grass is not his preferred surface and he has a weaker record on grass than all of his main rivals.

Problems en route to Federer in the semis? Not until the quarter-finals where he is likely to meet Robin Soderling, the power-house world number 5. Soderling is one of the biggest hitters in the game and Djokovic will need to be wary of the threat he poses.

Andy Murray No.4 seed - previous best: Semi-Final ’09 and ’10

Reaching the final at the Australia Open and the semis at the French has sandwiched an indifferent 2011 for Murray. However, victory at Queens will ensure he arrives at Wimbledon on a tidal wave of Murray-mania. Despite persistent perceptions as being surly and dour, he will enjoy a huge amount of home support in every one of his matches.

Despite having the talent to win a Grand Slam, experts have placed his current failure to do so on his defensive mind-set. Murray’s tendency to wait for opponents to make mistakes will not gain him the seven straight wins necessary to claim a Slam, so it will be interesting to see if he alters his approach in this year’s tournament.   

Murray is certainly good enough to win at least one major in his career and there is no reason why this could not occur at Wimbledon. However, with his best performances coming on hard courts, this will require some huge performances from the Scot.

Problems en route to Nadal in the semis? The draw has not been favourable to Murray with Marin Cilic, Richard Gasquet and Stanislas Wawrinka all possible opponents before a likely quarter-final against Andy Roddick. Although Murray has strong records against all of these players, they have all inflicted Grand Slam defeats upon him (except for Gasquet who has twice imploded on the cusp of victory).