10 Players to Watch at the 2009 Wimbledon by Nadya Vlassoff
Wimbledon is only days away and tennis fans around the world are gearing up for the season’s most prestigious tournament. The biggest stars are on the court and pre-coverage is already in full swing. Although Wimbledon play has yet to begin, one of the major losses of the tournament has already happened. Spain’s Rafael Nadal has confirmed that he will not be playing this year. Nadal, the 2008 Wimbledon champion, has been suffering from tendonitis over the past two weeks and finally broke the news that he’s not fit enough to return to take to the court. Interestingly, the dynamics surrounding Nadal’s injury are eerily similar to the Cortisone shots Maria Sharapova took in her shoulder months ago to curb future damage before aggravating the pain, which caused a 10 month layoff from competitive play. Coming off of two losses to Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal made the right decision but the loss will be felt throughout Wimbledon as one of the biggest stars of the ATP tour sits out.
As the world’s biggest tennis stars get set to take to the court in London,
here are our picks for players to watch at Wimbledon
this year:
Andy Murray
In many ways, we don’t give this guy enough credit. But despite any critical opinion, Andy Murray has proven in the past year that he deserves his #3 ranking. With Rafael Nadal out of the Wimbledon picture, Murray has moved into the #2 seed position, which could set up a potential final against the #1 seed, Roger Federer. Although Grass is not Murray’s best surface, he did win his first lawn tournament a week ago at the Aegon Championships. In the 2009 field, Andy Murray is definitely Britain’s brightest hope for a Brit to win at Wimbledon for the first time in 73 years.
Venus Williams
The
Williams name and Wimbledon have gone hand in
racket in last decade, with Venus taking 5 titles
in England. By far Wimbledon has been her most
successful tournament and the two-time returning
champion has never faced much opposition at
her favourite tournament, considering some of
the tour’s most fearsome competitors have squared
off against Venus her in the finals. Last year
Venus took out younger sister Serena in another
Williams sister showdown. This year Venus Williams
is beginning a quest to break Steffi Graf’s
record of seven Wimbledon titles. Since Wimbledon
is where the star that is Venus Williams shines
the brightest, you can never count her out to
make the final.
Maria Sharapova
It was her maiden Grand Slam title that still holds a special place in Maria Sharapova’s heart. Sharapova, who recently came back from a 10-month layoff due to a shoulder injury, has been somewhat inconsistent yet strong in the last several tournaments she’s entered. Although Maria’s right shoulder is still on the mend, Sharapova recently stated that she is looking to recapture her Wimbledon glory but it might not happen in 2009. If Sharapova has any hope of a Wimbledon title run, Maria needs to prepare for a possible, likely gruelling, quarter-final against Serena Williams whom she beat in the 2004 Wimbledon final to claim her first Slam title. Seeded a surprising 24th, Sharapova will face a few old and familiar rivals as Elena Dementieva also sits in Maria’s half of the draw.
Fernando Verdasco
The
towering Spaniard is still on the hunt for his
first Grand Slam title, but the much improved
game Fernando Verdasco has helped to not only
lift his spirits but also his ranking over the
last six months. The withdrawal of Rafael Nadal
means that Verdasco is now the highest seeded
Spaniard in the men’s draw. However, forget
about seeing this fearsome forehander wilt under
pressure since Verdasco is strong on hard courts.
After bowing out in the 4th round in 2008, Verdasco
could follow in the footsteps of Nadal to keep
Spain on top of the tennis world.
Frank Dancevic
The highest seeded Canadian player, Frank Dancevic is looking to make waves in the men’s singles the same way his countryman Daniel Nestor is doing in the men’s doubles. Dancevic is currently enjoying newfound on-court success with a faster ground game, which is greatly important when it comes to the faster grass courts at Wimbledon. Dancevic reached the final of the Aegon International tournament just this week, one of his most successful runs at a grass court tournament. It was certainly good practice for the Canadian who faces a difficult draw with Roger Federer in his quarter.
Agnieszka Radwanska
The 20-year old from Poland has been quickly rising in the ranks ever since she upset Maria Sharapova, the defending champion, in the third round of the U.S. Open in 2007. Radwanska is one of the few players on the WTA tour who has been consistent in all aspects of her game while slowly improving at the same time. A returning quarter-finalist, Radwanska did shake off a first round loss earlier in the year at the Australian Open when she made it to the 4th round on the courts of Roland Garros at The French Open.
Tommy Haas
The
veteran German Tommy Haas, has played against
the odds for the majority of his career, twice
coming back from injury, to climb the rankings
over and over again. Haas had a great Wimbledon
run in 2007 where he made it into the 4th round
but suffered a torn abdominal muscle and had
to pull out a day before he was to take on the
defending champion, Roger Federer. Although
Haas had his confidence shaken, this year Tommy
is looking to make into the second week at Wimbledon
for the first time in his storied career. If
he can do it, look for Haas to make grown men
cry as he upsets some top seeds along the way.
Sybille Bammer
Sybille Bammer will always have a spot in our hearts. One of the few players to have ever returned to the WTA after having a child has always been a crowd favourite. Bammer became a surprise quarter-finalist at the 2008 U.S. Open where she fell to Jelena Jankovic. However, it was Bammer’s on-court presence that lit up the crowd as they fell in love with her play. One of her least successful tournaments, Bammer faces a potential 3rd round match-up with Jelena Jankovic. If Sybille can make it past Jankovic, Bammer still has Venus Williams to contend with in her side of the draw. But you can never count out a woman who has a certain extra-special strength after having a child and returning to play.
Stanislas Wawrinka
The lesser known Swiss player is going to be a much bigger contender at this year’s Wimbledon than ever before. Although struggling on grass in recent years, Stanislas Wawrinka shocked the world when he beat Roger Federer at the 2009 Monte Carlo Masters. Despite taking a tumble in the rankings, Wawrinka remains in the top 20 and could make it into the second week if he can maintain a solid forehand to go along with his strong backhand.
Caroline Wozniacki
After
winning the Aegon International going into Wimbledon,
Caroline Wozniacki has taken her game to a higher
level. There were lofty expectations for her
at the French Open where Wozniacki was ousted
in the third round and Caroline has never made
it past the 4th round of any major, although
she only turned pro in 2005 at the age of 15.
However, Wozniacki has the most potential of
the young crop of players in her age group and
will need to focus all her energy on closing
out matches and winning long rallies if she
hopes to win even her quarter, which holds the
world #1 ranked, Dinara Safina.
Although our players to watch out for at this year’s Wimbledon finals have been adjusted due to the sudden withdrawal of Rafael Nadal, the loss of the dominant Spaniard has opened up a new door at the top half of the draw. With Nadal watching from afar, our dream final would put Andy Murray against Roger Federer who is looking to reclaim his Wimbledon glory after being dethroned by Nadal last year in one of the most epic matches ever played. If this match transpires, we take Federer in four sets.
In the women’s final, the tournament is wide open for anyone. Serena and Venus are once again split into separate halves and could set up a potential final rematch that would mirror the 2008 Wimbledon final. Venus has the potential to make it into the final and take the championship again, but the real question is who will fight her for it? Maria Sharapova is back but not in championship form, with an adjusted serving motion that’s not helping her serving speed. Serena Williams is still sluggish and failed to show formidable promise at the French Open. However, when it comes to the play of either Williams sister, Venus and Serena often get better in deeper rounds of a Grand Slam. It could certainly happen again at Wimbledon this year but in predicting a sister showdown Venus will undoubtedly walk away with it in three sets if she can keep her service game strong and Serena away from hitting her ever-dangerous forehand.
The
Williams name and Wimbledon have gone hand in
racket in last decade, with Venus taking 5 titles
in England. By far Wimbledon has been her most
successful tournament and the two-time returning
champion has never faced much opposition at
her favourite tournament, considering some of
the tour’s most fearsome competitors have squared
off against Venus her in the finals. Last year
Venus took out younger sister Serena in another
Williams sister showdown. This year Venus Williams
is beginning a quest to break Steffi Graf’s
record of seven Wimbledon titles. Since Wimbledon
is where the star that is Venus Williams shines
the brightest, you can never count her out to
make the final.
The
towering Spaniard is still on the hunt for his
first Grand Slam title, but the much improved
game Fernando Verdasco has helped to not only
lift his spirits but also his ranking over the
last six months. The withdrawal of Rafael Nadal
means that Verdasco is now the highest seeded
Spaniard in the men’s draw. However, forget
about seeing this fearsome forehander wilt under
pressure since Verdasco is strong on hard courts.
After bowing out in the 4th round in 2008, Verdasco
could follow in the footsteps of Nadal to keep
Spain on top of the tennis world.
The
veteran German Tommy Haas, has played against
the odds for the majority of his career, twice
coming back from injury, to climb the rankings
over and over again. Haas had a great Wimbledon
run in 2007 where he made it into the 4th round
but suffered a torn abdominal muscle and had
to pull out a day before he was to take on the
defending champion, Roger Federer. Although
Haas had his confidence shaken, this year Tommy
is looking to make into the second week at Wimbledon
for the first time in his storied career. If
he can do it, look for Haas to make grown men
cry as he upsets some top seeds along the way.
After
winning the Aegon International going into Wimbledon,
Caroline Wozniacki has taken her game to a higher
level. There were lofty expectations for her
at the French Open where Wozniacki was ousted
in the third round and Caroline has never made
it past the 4th round of any major, although
she only turned pro in 2005 at the age of 15.
However, Wozniacki has the most potential of
the young crop of players in her age group and
will need to focus all her energy on closing
out matches and winning long rallies if she
hopes to win even her quarter, which holds the
world #1 ranked, Dinara Safina.