A Look at Wimbledon 2012’s Contenders and Pretenders
Considered the most prestigious tennis event in the world, the 2012 Wimbledon Championships are set to begin Monday, June 25. As the World Series is for baseball, the U.S. Open for golf, and the Tour de France for cycling, winning the title at the All-England Club is what moves a tennis player’s career to one of legendary status. In and of itself, the event is legendary and provides two weeks of tennis that fans look forward to from all around the world. Although the grass court season is short, the dueling matches that are played on the courts of the All-England Club can mark a player’s name in the history of the sport forever.
As it is getting closer to the start of the tournament, it is safe to anticipate the true contenders, pretenders and American hopefuls for this year’s Championships.
On the women’s side, reigning 2012 French Open champion, Maria Sharapova, is a definite contender at the grass courts in England this year. Going into the tournament as the number one seed, having just come off her fourth Grand Slam victory clinching her career Grand Slam, one can expect Sharapova to enter the tournament with an air of confidence. It has been eight years since she won her first Grand Slam at the All-England club in 2004 when she was just 17 years old.
In addition to Sharapova, defending Wimbledon champ Petra Kvitova is also a player to watch out for. Currently ranked number four in the world and seeded fourth at Wimbledon, Kvitova will go into the tournament with the knowledge and fresh experience of what it takes to win on the grass courts of London. One more contender for this year’s Championships that cannot be overlooked is the unseeded Kim Clijsters. Twice a Wimbledon semifinalist, Clijsters has announced that she will retire this year after the U.S. Open. Since her Australian Open title defense ended in the semifinals in January, Clijsters comes in to this tournament unseeded as she has been limited by ankle and hip injuries, however this doesn’t mean she won’t be hungry for her first Wimbledon title.
On the men’s side, the “big three” of Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer remain the strong contenders for this year’s championships. Reigning champion Djokovic will be looking to repeat his 2011 Wimbledon title with a win at the All-England club this year. After coming off his recent loss in the finals at Roland Garros, he will be sure to be ready to take the title after coming so close just a few weeks ago. After coming off a fresh win in Roland Garros, Nadal is a strong contender for his third Wimbledon title and 12th overall Grand Slam title. Having won six Wimbledon titles already, Federer knows what it means to win on the grass, making him a consistent threat in the draw.
Of course there are some “pretenders” in the draw who really have not proven in recent month to have much of a shot at this year’s title. On the women’s side, former number one-ranked Caroline Wozniacki has never really been able to make her mark on the grass courts. The speed of the grass doesn’t suit her game, and she could be in trouble early on this year. Also, former top 10 players, Ana Ivanovic and Jelena Jankovic don’t seem to be contenders for this year’s title either. Ivanovic has been struggling recently with injuries, while Jankovic doesn’t seem to have the same level of confidence in herself as she had in previous years.
Americans Andy Roddick and Sam Querrey have also been struggling of late and seem to fall into the "pretender category" this year. Roddick is currently ranked outside of the top 30, however the All-England club granted him a number 30 seed position. Querrey is also struggling with an injury and doesn’t seem to be in solid form going into this year’s tournament. James Blake also doesn’t indicate to be a contender in this year’s event either. Even at his prime, Blake only managed a third round appearance in London.
Looking at the draw, there are some American hopefuls to take note of. Although the road has been rough for Melanie Oudin since her groundbreaking run at the U.S. Open in 2009, Oudin recently won the first WTA title of her career in Birmingham, England. Ranked outside of the top 200, Oudin has been granted a wild card into this year’s event. Despite her drop in the rankings, Oudin has shown her tenacity and talent in the past, hopefully this may be a new turning point for her. In addition to Oudin, New Jersey native Christina McHale is also a young up-and-coming American hopeful. McHale recently upset former world number one Wozniacki in Eastbourne, England this past week. Hopefully McHale can continue her form into Wimbledon next week. Another American hopeful is Varvara Lepchenko who had a strong run at the 2012 French Open this year and Wimbledon may be a career turning point for her.
Three American hopefuls on the men’s side that stand out are Mardy Fish, the big man John Isner and Brian Baker. Although Fish has missed a good majority of the 2012 season due to a heart condition that required surgery, he is set to return at the 2012 Wimbledon Championships. He still remains the number 12 player in the world. Isner, currently ranked number 10, is a heavy American hopeful going into the tournament. After his epic marathon match last year, it just seemed he ran out of steam in the next round. Hopefully this year, he will conserve his energy and make it all the way through. Last but not least, American Baker is coming back to the tour with a vengeance. After dealing with excessive injuries, Baker qualified for this year’s Wimbledon event.
Matches begin Monday, June 25th at 9:00 a.m. EST at the All-England Lawn Tennis Club.
