Wilfrid Baddeley, 1891 Wimbledon Men’s Singles Champion

Ladies’ draw preview below and here.

Top Half – First Quarter

Realistically, this is a great draw for Rafa and everything points towards him cruising to the semis. Milos could cause him some problems, which would be a third round match-up. Delpo or Gilles await in the fourth round. And with talk of rain and wet weather slowing down the courts, that can only help Rafa. He’s in the semis easily.

Quarterfinal: Fish vs. Nadal

Top Half – Second Quarter

Once again, a very do-able draw for the top seed Murray. He could have a tricky opponent in the fourth round, taking on the winner of Stan/Richie. Stan took Muzz to four sets in that epic late match under the roof two years ago, and Richie has had success at Wimby and has been hot of late.

On the other side of the quarter, Muzz has the always dangerous Roddick, who has a very, very nice draw. Unfortunately, I think Muzz’s confidence and returning have really improved since two years ago, and Roddick’s serve isn’t quite as consistent as it once was so…

Quarterfinal: Murray vs. Roddick

Bottom Half: First Quarter

Things are looking solid for Fed here, who has to be a huge favourite this year after having a fantastic Roland Garros run. If his serve looks sharp early on, watch out, because his ground strokes definitely do. Watch out for Tree, too. I really tried to shine the light on him last year, and jinxed him like mad. I still think he could be a huge force on grass if the courts are playing quickly, and I expect him to beat Mahut in straights. Much like Ivo has found success at Wimbledon, Tree could do the same. Tough to lose if you can’t get broken (the breaking part is another story…)

The top half is pretty weak, and is great for Jo and Ferru.

Quarterfinal: Tsonga vs. Federer

Bottom Half – Second Quarter

If I were to put money on one of the top 4 not making the semis, it would be Nole. He has struggled to find success in England in the past, and a similar result would not be entirely surprising. At the same time, we can’t forget how insanely well he’s played this well, in particular his returning and the speed of his ground strokes. To boot, his confidence is through the roof. The combination of these things means that he shouldn’t have the typical early round jitters and his draw is pretty favourable.

Quarterfinal: Soderling vs. Djokovic

Semifinals: Nadal vs. Murray, Federer vs. Djokovic
Final: Murray vs. Federer
Champion: Federer