Last week I had the easiest job ever in predicting Serena Williams would win the Ladies Singles. If only things were always so straightforward!
This week I have the far tougher task of trying to settle on my favourite for the Men’s title.
I could produce evidence to back any of the world’s top four.
Things have not been helped by the crazy situation of having Rafa Nadal, by a mile the year’s outstanding player, seeded atNo 5 due to his injury time-out.
However, after much consideration, I am making Novak Djokovic a marginal favourite to win his second Wimbledon title, with Andy Murray my second choice, Nadal third and Roger Federer fourth.
I don’t claim that this is a masterclass in logic or insight. It’s more of a gut-feeling.
I make Djokovic favourite.
Not because he won the Australian title in January. I’m picking the Serb because of the match he LOST to Nadal in Paris.
Putting things into context, the French Open was Djokovic’s target for the year. It was his priority to win the one Grand Slam that was missing from his CV.
The pressure was all on Novak, with Nadal still finding his touch after his absence from the game.
On a surface that isn’t his favourite, Djokovic forced the greatest clay-court player in history to come up with absolutely staggering tennis to squeeze out an epic victory.
The fourth and fifth sets of the French Open semi-final were the best two sets of clay-court tennis I’ve ever seen. Some of the winners Rafa had to hit to win the match were breathtaking and beyond belief.
For Novak to come that close on the clay court that Rafa ‘owns’ convinces me that at Wimbledon, where the odds will be slightly more in the Serb’s favour, Djokovic will prevail.
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