PREVIEW | WIMBLEDON 2022
Djokovic can end Nadal's calendar slam attempt while Swiatek set to extend winning streak
On the 100th anniversary of Wimbledon's move to Church Street and the creation of Centre Court, the tournament has made a large statement with its ban of Russian and Belarusian players.
In response to the ongoing disaster in Ukraine, there is no place this year for elite players like 2021 semi-finalist Aryna Sabalenka, Andrei Rublev and the current men's world no.1, Daniil Medvedev.
We will not see Roger Federer at SW19 this year either as he recuperates from two knee surgeries. However, in a shock announcement before Eastbourne, seven-time champion Serena Williams confirmed her participation in this year's event. Now ranked outside the top 400, the 40-year-old is still aiming to match Margaret Court's record of 24 singles grand slams.
When the ATP and WTA decided to remove ranking points from the tournament in retaliation for the player ban, it was thought that a number of stars might drop out. That hasn't happened as Wimbledon is…well Wimbledon.
Defending champion Novak Djokovic - a critic of the ban - will start proceedings on Monday while Iga Swiatek - an ardent supporter of Ukraine - will begin play on Tuesday. In fact, all top 10 players of each sex that are able to play will compete at SW19.
While the ranking points have vanished this year, prize money certainly has not. Each singles winner will receive a cheque worth £2 million ($2.45 million). That's almost 18% higher than last year's figure but less than 2019.
Men's Draw
Despite his debacle Down Under and surprisingly sub par performance against Rafael Nadal at Roland Garros, Novak Djokovic is still the man to beat this year. The three-time defending champion has been the most consistent man at this venue over the last decade and has an impressive 89% winning record overall.
The 35-year-old has a straightforward opener against world no.75 Soonwoo Kwon before a string of potentially interesting, rather than frightening clashes. Thanasi Kokkinakis, Miomir Kecmanovic and Reilly Opelka are all good players but I have little confidence that any of them can knock Djokovic out of Wimbledon unless he has a very bad day.
After that, we could have an exciting Djokovic-Alcaraz bout in the quarters that will really send the BBC coverage into overdrive.
Beyond the defending champion, I’m only convinced by the men who have done well at Wimbledon before or who have some form on grass. So while Carlos Alcaraz could have a great tournament, it would be some achievement for him to threaten at the end of the fortnight given his lack of experience on the surface.
On the other hand, 2021 finalist Matteo Berrettini could not be happier with his results coming in. After undergoing wrist surgery earlier in the season, the Italian reeled off back-to-back titles at Stuttgart and Queen’s and is brimming with confidence on the grass.
Given his form and suitability for the turf, I think Berrettini should get through to the second week without enormous trouble. From there though, things get significantly more complicated. The 26-year-old may have to force his way through Stefanos Tsitsipas, Nadal and Djokovic to claim a maiden grand slam title.
Since I’ve mentioned the mighty Spaniard, let’s examine his case this year.
Despite all sorts of physical and sporting odds against him, Rafael Nadal comes into Wimbledon having captured the first two majors of the season. One year after Djokovic was one win away from history, the Mallorcan is half way to the same feat.
However, despite his unquestionable brilliance, it has been a long time since the 36-year-old competed for the winner’s trophy at Wimbledon. Nadal’s last final on Centre Court was in 2011, with his most recent title a year earlier.
When we look at the draw, Nadal has two potentially formidable obstacles in his path before the final. It’s fair to say that both Marin Cilic (fourth round) and Berrettini (semis) have the capability and confidence to knock the Spaniard out and he will be wary of that fact.
There has been an upswing in Cilic’s form in recent months and the Croat enjoyed semi-final runs at Roland Garros and Queen’s. The 2017 finalist will be one to watch over the fortnight and I would not be surprised if he upset both Nadal and Berrettini to claim a place in the final.
Beyond those heavyweights, it will be interesting to track the progress of Alcaraz and Roland Garros's breakout star: Holger Rune.
Women's Draw
The chief question hanging over the women’s section has a familiar ring: can anyone beat Iga Swiatek?
The absolutely positively world no.1 has won six titles and 35 matches in a row including Roland Garros for the second time. During that winning streak, the Pole has only dropped a set on six occasions.
With the defending champion Ash Barty sadly retired, Swiatek has filled that vacuum in some style and will hope to transfer her junior form at Wimbledon (2018 champion) to the senior version.
I can’t make a reasonable argument for her opponents in the first week. Barbora Krejcikova may await Swiatek in the fourth round but the former Roland Garros champion is just back from injury and short of form and confidence.
Even at the business end, the destination of the title still looks to be on the 21-year-old’s racquet. Players like Garbine Muguruza and Jessie Pegula (potential QF opponents) or Paula Badosa, Coco Gauff, Simona Halep or Karolina Pliskova (potential SF) can’t live with Swiatek’s current level. The two banana peels to watch out for may be Petra Kvitova, who rediscovered form just in time at Eastbourne, and Serena Williams.
A two-time champion, Kvitova is one of the few players that could trouble the world no.1 on this surface and has that rare explosive power that makes rallies redundant. It's a sizable task for the 32-year-old but she has the game for it.
Meanwhile, Williams comes in as a somewhat unknown quantity which sounds ridiculous I know. However, the fact is that the seven-time champion has not played a professional singles match since she retired from the first round of Wimbledon 12 months ago. She is also 40 now.
The American’s draw is decent early on but I’m not confident that the current version of this cast iron legend can roll through the likes of Karolina Pliskova (third round), Coco Gauff (fourth round) or Kvitova/Halep (quarters) these days.
With all that starpower in the top half, the bottom section looks tamer and much more open.
No.2 seed Anett Kontaveit is off form so Berlin champion Ons Jabeur is probably the real totem to topple in this section. The Tunisian is having the season of her life with two titles and a career high ranking of no.2 this weekend.
Other names in the bottom half who could take advantage of chaos include former champion Angelique Kerber, Danielle Collins and Belinda Bencic.
As per usual in the grand slam women’s previews, predictions can often count for little and seeds can tumble in an early frenzy. With that in mind, here are a few ladies that might upset the (strawberry) cart:
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