The most famous tennis tournament starts on Monday. Only Grand Slam tournament played on grass courts is a challenge for players, fans, and bettors. Wimbledon 2019 is finally here so let’s make pre-tournament winners predictions.
Men’s Singles draw
Wimbledon 2018 winner: Djokovic
Our pre-season Wimbledon 2019 pick: Djokovic
Readers poll: 35% Federer, 30% Nadal, 27% Djokovic
Big favorites: Still the same
The discussion about Wimbledon winner starts with the same three names for years. Djokovic, Federer, and Nadal were the usual suspects for Wimbledon title every season and there is no difference this year.
Nadal and Djokovic are rested and Wimbledon will be their first grass tournament this season. However, there is no doubt both will come well prepared for Wimbledon.
I have some reservations about Nadal chances this year. The grass is not Nadal’s favorite surface and his injury history can be an issue too. I do not expect he will survive for long in the draw.
Roger Federer already played and won the grass tournament in Halle last week. His performance was not perfect in first rounds (lost sets with Tsonga and Bautista), but he improved his play a lot during the week. He definitely feels that Wimbledon is his best (and maybe last) chance to win Grand Slam title once again.
Time for NextGen?
Djokovic – Federer final is a dream one for many (including me). However, there is still a slight chance that someone new will claim the Wimbledon trophy. We remember the last three seasons, we had a favorite against the outsider in the finals. Raonic in 2016, Cilic in 2017 and Anderson in 2018 were close to the ultimate success. In the end, they all lost finals in a rather disappointing way.
All three past finalists, Raonic, Cilic, Anderson can be hardly called the next tennis generation, but their chances are probably highest from the rest of the field. They all enjoy playing on the grass and can serve well enough to win their road to the second week of play. The only downside is their mediocre play during the grass tournaments before Wimbledon.
Speaking of true NextGen, there are four names that come to my mind.
Dominic Thiem is an excellent clay player and he also improved greatly on other surfaces in the past two seasons. His name is mentioned often as future number one. Maybe Wimbledon is the place to prove it.
Alexander Zverev is underestimated at the moment. His performance this season is pretty unstable but I would not rule him out.
The young Canadian, Felix Auger Aliassime, could be one to watch at this year’s Wimbledon tournament. He’s been on a hot streak lately and many think he could be a good dark horse pick.
Stefanos Tsitsipas is another promising player at the moment. His potential is enormous and his tennis style is fun to watch. The grass surface could be an ideal match for his offensive style.
Pre-tournament Men’s Wimbledon 2019 pick
It took me a while to sort it out. I would love to see Djokovic – Federer final, but I do not really believe it will happen. I expect the same favorite – outsider scenario we experienced in the last three seasons. In the end, I am going with Roger Federer as the one with the best chances to win Wimbledon 2019.
Ladies Singles draw
Wimbledon 2018 winner: Kerber
Our pre-season Wimbledon 2019 pick: Kvitova
Readers poll: 20% Osaka, 19% Serena Williams, 16% Someone else
20+ names in consideration
Ladies singles Wimbledon 2019 winner pick is the hardest pick ever I have to make.
My pre-season pick was Petra Kvitova. She is a nice person and plays outstanding tennis. She started this season in a big style (win in Sydney, runner-up at Australian Open, win in Stuttgart) and won Wimbledon two times already in 2011 and 2014. I would pick her again today but she was healing an arm injury lately. It is far from assured she will play in Wimbledon. That makes me worry.
And there are another ten or fifteen ladies who can think about the Wimbledon trophy. Essentially, anyone out of WTA TOP 20 can win Wimbledon in two weeks. We can start with the Australian Open and French Open winners, Naomi Osaka and Ashleigh Barty. Angelique Kerber and Serena Williams are definitely in play for a win too. Karolina Pliskova aggressive style can be successful too. Gabine Muguruza won it in 2017 and she has to be in the discussion this year too.
Do I miss someone? Of course, Simone Halep, Elena Svitolina, Kiki Bertens, and Sloane Stephens have to be considered too. Or do we see a bigger surprise this year? Belinda Bencic, Sofia Kenin or grass specialist Alison Riske?
Pre-tournament Ladies Wimbledon 2019 pick
I need to pick just one name. Out of all the possible names I like one especially. She plays offensive tennis, has a good serve and is still waiting for a really big win. Kiki Bertens. It is her time now.
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