Starting tomorrow, the sports world's attention shifts to London for the better part of the next two months. And things are certainly going to be busy on the grounds of the All-England Club. Olympic tennis gets underway at Wimbledon next month, but first, they'll have another slightly significant tournament at the venue. Before they redecorate the grounds for the Olympics, it's two weeks of tradition at the oldest, most prestigious tennis tournament in the world.
There is one significant change at Wimbledon this year, though. For the first time in 43 years, there will be no "Breakfast at Wimbledon" on NBC. ESPN, which has had the cable rights for the last few years, outbid NBC last year for rights to the entire tournament. (Of course, NBC will still be at Wimbledon this year, but in this case, being there for the Olympics won't quite be the same.)
For the players, this is an interesting year at Wimbledon, too. They'll be playing at the venue twice in a matter of a few weeks. For some, that's a tremendous advantage heading into the Olympics. Others won't have to wait a year to redeem themselves after a disappointing showing at Wimbledon. Then there are those who have no chance to win, but will still have the thrill of competing at Wimbledon twice in the same year. I bet the grass-court players are thrilled about that possibility.
On the men's side, the Djokovic vs. Federer semifinal rule was followed again here. Meaning that, once again, Rafael Nadal doesn't have to play either until the finals. Although, at Wimbledon that's not really that much of an advantage, since his typecasted semifinal opponent happens to be Andy Murray. Is this the year he finally breaks through at Wimbledon? (I still think he wins an Olympic medal for Great Britain on Centre Court in August.) And while not a rule at all Grand Slams (like Djokovic-Federer), it's become a Wimbledon rule ever since their epic match that John Isner and Nicolas Mahut must play at some point. This year, they're set to match up in the second round.
One of the unique things about Wimbledon is that grass court tennis is completely different than the clay court tennis they all just finished playing. That doesn't matter for the Big Four, but a lot of guys who were out early at the French Open (Andy Roddick comes to mind) will threaten to make deep runs here, while the guys who went far in Paris are vulnerable to an early exit here. Although, like I said, that doesn't matter to the Big Four.
Although, I'm steering clear of going straight chalk into the semifinals. Fifth-seeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga is drawn against Nadal in the quarters. With that monster serve, I think Tsonga challenges him. He'll also have a lot of confidence after coming back from 2-0 down to beat Federer in the quarters last year. In fact, I'm picking Tsonga to end the Djokovic-Nadal final streak at four. This is where Roger plays his best, and if Federer is ever going to win another Grand Slam title (I still think he will), it'll probably be at Wimbledon. I'm not sure he beats Djokovic, though. Novak's had his number of late. In the other semi, Murray breaks through and becomes the first British man to play in the Wimbledon final since 1936. However, the dream ends there, as Djokovic wins his second straight Wimbledon title.
There are so many women that can win this thing it's crazy. Maria Sharapova might be playing the best tennis of her career. She won the French Open to get back to No. 1 in the world and made the finals here last year. And let's not forget, Sharapova's breaktrough came at Wimbledon eight years ago. No. 2 Victoria Azarenka was a semifinalist last year, and No. 4 Petra Kvitova is the defending champion. Then there's sixth-seeded Serena Williams, who's been dominant at Wimbledon throughout her career and wants redemption after that first-round loss in Paris. And Venus is unseeded. She's the last person I'd want to see end up in my draw. Same thing with Kim Clijsters, who's nowhere as dangerous here as the Williams sisters.
So how do I see the women's tournament playing out? Maria's game is on a different level right now. And she's always played well at Wimbledon. It doesn't matter who she plays. I'd be surprised if she doesn't reach the semifinals. Third-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska was the unfortunate soul to see Venus Williams' name pop up (although, Radwanska has beaten Venus at Wimbeldon before). The winner of that second-round match could go all the way to the semis. But I'm going with Daniela Hantuchova, another player who always finds success on grass. You've also got a Serena vs. Kvitova quarterfinal. That could end up being the match of the tournament on the women's side. I've got Serena winning and facing Azarenka in the semis.
In the women's final, I think it'll be a rematch of 2004. And the result will be the same. Maria Sharapova continues her incredible run in 2012 by defeating Serena Williams for the Wimbledon title.
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