Wimbledon 2012 Draw Preview
In much heightened anticipation, the draw for the 2012 Wimbledon Championships was announced on June 22.
Defending champion Novak Djokovic will open his 2012 campaign against Juan Carlos Ferrero, the former world number one and 2003 French Open champion. The two haven’t met in five years and have a tied record at one apiece, that was before Djokovic had even won his first Grand Slam title. Six-time Wimbledon champion Roger Federer also joins Djokovic in the top of the draw, playing against Albert Ramos of Spain. Second seed Rafael Nadal and fourth seed Andy Murray share the bottom half of the draw. Nadal will face Thomaz Bellucci in his opening round, while home favorite Andy Murray will take on former world number four, Nikolay Davydenko.
The men’s draw indicates some exciting opening and potential future round matchups. The number six seed, Thomas Berdych, will take on Ernests Gulbis in the first round. Gulbis has tremendous talent and ability, he just lacks in consistency. On the other hand, Berdych has played some of his best grand slam tennis at Wimbledon, finishing as runner-up back in 2010. If Gulbis is able to let his abilities shine, then we can expect to see a very competitive matchup. Lleyton Hewitt won the Wimbledon crown 10 years ago and is set to meet the fiery Frenchman, Jo-Wilfred Tsonga, providing an exciting first round opener. Another first round matchup that catches the eye is the eighth seeded Serb Janko Tipsarevic against the recent disqualified Queen’s finalist David Nalbandian. Both players have similar game styles, which should provide a quality matchup. An exciting potential round matchup on the men’s side is a repeat of last year’s epic marathon match between John Isner and Nicolas Mahut. If both men get past the first round, they are set to meet in the second round.
On the women’s side of the draw, Maria Sharapova, who is the top seed for the first time, will take on the Australian, Anastasia Rodionova. Joining Sharapova in the top half of the draw is third seeded Agnieszka Radwanska who will face Magdalena Rybarikova in the first round. Former number one Victoria Azarenka and defending champion Petra Kvitova share the bottom half of the draw. Azarenka opens the championships against American Irina Falconi while Kvitova will face Akgul Amanmuradova in her opener.
A much-anticipated first round matchup on the women’s side will see former world number one Jelena Jankovic take on Kim Clijsters. After being sidelined with injuries, Clijsters will embark on her final Wimbledon campaign. However, I’m sure Jankovic will be determine to end her run sooner rather than later. Looking ahead in the draw, top seeded Sharapova’s first real threat could come in the fourth round against Sabine Lisicki. Victoria Azarenka seems to be on course to a quarter-final crash with Wozniacki.
There are 12 American men and 10 American women entered into this year’s Wimbledon championships. On the men’s side, John Isner and Mardy Fish stand out as the greatest American hopes. Michael Russell, Ryan Sweeting, Jesse Levine and Brain Baker all passed through the qualifying draw to secure their spot. Young American hopeful Ryan Harrison will take on Yen-Hsun Lu in the first round, but would potentially meet top-seeded Djokovic in the second.
On the women’s side Serena Williams is the top American seed at number six. New Jersey native Christina McHale is next in line at 28. Melanie Oudin was granted a wildcard for the tournament and she will face Timea Babos of Hungary in the first round.
Matches begin Monday, June 25th.
