The All England Club will be sparkling with white garments when the world’s best tennis players converge for the most prestigious Grand Slam of them all, Wimbledon. The world No. 1 Novak Djokovic is eager to bounce back after his heart-breaking runner-up finish at Roland Garros, while Roger Federer continues to defy Father Time, and could possibly dominate on grass.
Aside from the two players at the top of the world, there are a bunch of youngsters raring to steal their thunder. Read on as we take a look at the best players to bet on to win the 2015 Wimbledon championship.
Novak Djokovic (+130) will need to get over his heart breaking French Open final loss to Stanislas Wawrinka because Wimbledon is just right around the corner. The world No. 1 faces quite a challenging draw, featuring a handful of powerful servers starting with Philipp Kohlschreiber in the very first round. Other powerful players such as Kevin Anderson and John Isner are also in Djokovic’s bracket to give him a solid challenge.
[sc:Other240banner ]But having quality players in his bracket should only serve to ensure that the world No. 1 remains sharp throughout the tournament. He’s also had plenty of success at Wimbledon, making at least the semifinal round since 2010. Djokovic has won two of the past five Wimbledon tournaments and one runner-up finish.
When talking about Wimbledon, you cannot pass on giving Roger Federer a shot. Federer has historically excelled on grass. The bulk (seven to be exact) of his ATP record 17 Majors titles have come at Wimbledon. He came oh so close to his eighth Wimbledon title last year, dropping a five-set thriller to eventual champion Djokovic.
Federer enters this year’s tournament red-hot on what has been a successful season. He’s even just captured another title on grass this June at the Gerry Weber open. Federer is now the first player in 2015 to win titles on three different surfaces: hard in Brisbane and Dubai, clay in Istanbul, and grass in Halle. Expect to see a rejuvenated Federer on the court at the All England Club.
Grigor Dimitrov (+2,200) has had paltry performances in Grand Slams this season with a fourth round exit at the Australian Open and a first round exit at the French Open. But he can quickly put those behind him with another deep run at Wimbledon.
Dimitrov was a surprise entrant in last year’s Wimbledon semifinals by upsetting third-seed Andy Murray in the quarterfinal in straight sets. The young Bulgarian then gave eventual champion Djokovic a handful in their semifinal match. He even took the champion to two late tiebreakers in a four-set 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(2), 7-6(7) loss.
Another young hot shot could possibly breakout at the All England Club in Kei Nishikori (+2,500). The Japanese ace went on a tear in 2014, beating each of the world’s top four players in Djokovic, Federer, Murray and Wawrinka. Nishikori has been on a tear this year, going 7-2 in majors matches while making the quarterfinals in the Australian and French Opens.
Nishikori reached the semifinal of the Gerry Weber Open, a match he dropped due to suffering a calf injury. With the Japanese back in top shape, expect him to once again dazzle with his dominant baseline play and powerful serves at Wimbledon.
Long Shots – Borna Coric and David Goffin
“[Borna Coric] reminds me of myself a little bit at that age,” said world No. 1 and defending Wimbledon champion Djokovic about the 18 year old Croatian. Coric had a couple of flashes of brilliance that could propel him to greater heights. He defeated Rafael Nadal in Basel in 2014, and beat Murray in Dubai earlier this year.
But before he gets to the top of the sport, Coric needs a defining moment in his young career. What better place to turn some heads than at Wimbledon? Coric is +10,000 to win his first ever Grand Slam.
David Goffin is an excellent player, but he has yet to translate his talent to success in the Majors. Goffin may be breaking through, recently winning his first and second career singles titles in 2014 (Austrian Open and Moselle Open). He’s been improving on his Grand Slam finishes this year, exiting in the second round at the Australian Open before finishing one round better at Roland Garros. Goffin is +15,000 to win Wimbledon.
Writer’s Prediction
Djokovic (+130) faces early adversity but eventually leaves the All England Club with his third career Wimbledon title.
