With the Wimbledon Championships just around the corner, tennis fans around the globe will be eagerly counting down the days until the return of the English Grand Slam.
With the coronavirus pandemic taking its toll on sporting events, the iconic lawn-tennis tournament was the only one of the big four competitions to be canceled last year, and with it not being held for the first time since World War II, excitement is understandably rife ahead of the tournament getting underway later this month.
Of course, the French Open is currently ongoing in Paris, so as you revel in the action at Roland Garros, let’s take a quick look at those leading the way in the tennis odds ahead of Wimbledon.
Novak Djokovic
After a rather disappointing end to last year, which saw Novak Djokovic disqualified from the US Open and heavily beaten by Rafael Nadal in the French Open final, the Serbian will be hoping for a much better season this year as he aims to close the gap on Roger Federer and Nadal’s record 20 Grand Slams. He won a third successive Australian Open back at the beginning of the year and he’ll be hoping for a hat-trick of successive victories at Wimbledon. With four triumphs in London in the last six years, he’s certainly the man to beat.
Rafael Nadal
Despite boasting 20 Grand Slam titles, Nadal has only won Wimbledon twice. So, there’s no doubt that the Spaniard would like to get another victory in the English Slam before he calls it quits on his playing days. It’s been 11 years since Nadal beat Tomáš Berdych to win his second Wimbledon title. However, he’s reached the semi-finals of the last two renewals of the competition and you can expect him to be there or thereabouts again this year. A 14th victory in the French Open this month would see he him head to London with tons of momentum behind him.
Stafanos Tsitsipas
Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas is one of a handful of exciting young up-and-coming players on the hunt for their first Grand Slam titles, and the 22-year-old is the joint-third favourite heading into Wimbledon. Tsitsipas is yet to reach a Grand Slam final. However, his run to the semi-finals of the Australian Open earlier this year was his third time reaching the last four of a Grand Slam and it feels like it’s only a matter of time before he’s featuring in a showpiece match. He’s yet to get past the fourth round at Wimbledon, but if Tsitsipas can get off on the right foot this year and build some momentum he could venture deep into the tournament.
Roger Federer
After a frustrating year with injuries, which resulted in Federer missing two of last year’s three Slams and Nadal equalling his Open Era record, the Swiss legend will be hoping to add to his tally with a victory at Wimbledon. It’s been three years since Federer last won a Grand Slam and at the ripe age of 39, here’s hoping that a lengthy spell away from the court hasn’t taken its toll on his game. With eight titles, he has enjoyed his most success at Wimbledon and he’ll be hoping to add to his haul this year.
