The first two Grand Slam men’s singles events have given us different champions. The 2019 Australian Open was ruled by Novak Djokovic, while the 2019 French Open had Rafael Nadal reigning supreme. Will the 2019 Wimbledon continue that trend? Roger Federer is aching to win at least one more Grand Slam title to add to his incredible collection of trophies, but he’ll be facing a stiff challenge the deeper he gets in the tournament. Will any of the top three favorites in the tournament win it? Or will a sleeper or a long shot take the crown? View all the odds of the men’s singles at the 2019 Wimbledon here, where Djokovic is currently favored with +125 odds to win.
Even though Djokovic went short of his goal to stitch together a fourth Grand Slam title in a row when he lost to Dominic Thiem in the semifinals of the recently concluded French Open, it’s hard to imagine the Serbian not being in the mix as among the top contenders at this year’s Wimbledon. After all, he is the defending champion of the event, winning it last year by defeating Kevin Anderson in the Finals in 2018. Djokovic hasn’t played on grass so far this year, but he is 88-18 on ATP matches played on the surface in his career. Since kicking off his ATP career, Djokovic has logged in with a 67 percent success rate on his first serves, winning 77 percent of his first serve points. More will be known about Djokovic’s readiness for Wimbledon in the days to come, so keep an eye on any news about him. Djokovic also won that pre-Wimbledon tournament last year by taking down Marin Cilic in three sets in the Finals.
At 37 years old, Federer is still money on the grass. Case in point: his win at the 2019 Noventi Open in Halle, Germany this June. Federer defeated David Goffin in the final of that tournament in two sets. He also defeated the likes of Ho-Wilfried Tsonga and Roberto Bautista Agut in the tournament, which marked his second title of the year. It’s worth noting that it was Federer’s 10th Halle title, and now, his focus will be on taking home his ninth overall Wimbledon championship. Federer last won it in 2017 before crashing out in the quarterfinals the following year. Federer has made it to the semifinals in four of his last five appearances at Wimbledon, which also includes back-to-back runner-up finishes in 2014 and 2015. Federer is aiming to become the first man to win nine Wimbledon titles, and he’ll get a boost from the fact that he’s No. 2 seed means that he’ll not face defending champion Djokovic unless they cross their paths in the Finals.
Tsitsipas is likely still licking his wounds after a premature exit at the Queen’s quarterfinals round after getting upset by Canadian teenager Felix Auger-Aliassime., 5-7, 2-6. Tsitsipas was the top-seed in the tournament, so the expectation was that he was going to breeze through Auger-Aliassime and not the other way around. Tsitsipas can just chalk it up to overconfidence, and it’s better he learns that lesson now than at Wimbledon. Tsitsipas is a sexy sleeper pick, considering that he’s beaten both Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer this year, albeit on non-grass surface courts. Tsitsipas also has a pair of titles to date this year, topping the Open 13 Provence last March and the Millennium Estoril Open lastProvence last May.
Anderson did not see action for three months due to an elbow issue but has now returned to action just in time for him to warm up for the 2019 Wimbledon. In his first tournament back from the injury did not pan out according to his plan, though, as Anderson was sent crashing out of the Fever-Tree Championships this month with a second-round loss to Gilles Simon. Before that, he beat Cameron Norrie in the first round. Of course, what people most remember about Anderson and Wimbledon was his captivating run to the Finals of last year’s edition of the tournament, when he also beat Federer in the quarterfinals and John Isner in the semis. He should have fresher legs compared to most contenders at Wimbledon, thanks to the time away from tennis he needed to heal from his elbow ailment.
Tsonga was not able to advance past the second round of the Noventi Open in Halle this month, as he lost to Roger Federer. But even in that loss, Tsonga made quite a statement that he’s going to be a dangerous opponent to anyone at Wimbledon. Tsonga won the first set before giving up the last two to Federer. The Swiss legend acknowledged Tsonga’s grit on the court, saying that the Frenchman “remains dangerous throughout” the contests, per Adam Skinner of Express. Tsonga missed last year’s Wimbledon because of lingering concerns in his knee that had surgery.
Writer’s Prediction
Federer makes history and wins his ninth Wimbledon title.
