Federer, Murray and the men who could win Wimbledon in 2017
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We’ve had to wait a little longer than usual but soon we’ll all be toasting the two week celebration of tennis that is the All-England Championships from Wimbledon.
This year’s grass court major is shaping-up to be a wide-open affair with cases to be made for a number of the leading players.
Seven-time Wimbledon winner Roger Federer currently heads the betting at 2/1 with defending champion Andy Murray and SW19 fan favourite Rafael Nadal available at 4/1 apiece.
Novak Djokovic finds himself as the rank outsider of the ‘big four’ at 13/2 with 14/1 or bigger about the remaining men’s singles contenders.
Here’s our look at some of the main players…
Roger Federer – 2/1 to win Wimbledon
The evergreen Swiss maestro may have suffered a shock loss to Tommy Haas in Stuttgart earlier in the month but he soon proved his doubters wrong by going on to land yet another grass title in Halle.
He’s 35-years-old now but the Fed Express is a worthy favourite to take an eighth Slam in South-West London.
Careful management of his 2017 schedule means Federer will head into this year’s Wimbledon tournament both in-form and fresh.
Andy Murray – 4/1
The number of column inches devoted to the decline of the world number one is growing by the hour and it pains us to say it but we wouldn’t be going anywhere near Murray at present.
A shock first round defeat at Queen’s Club will have done little to lift the mood in the Briton’s camp while the recent news that the 30-year-old has withdrawn from an exhibition match with a sore hip is yet another concern.
The physical and mental strain on Murray has become apparent and is reflected by his results thus far in 2017 (a 21-9 record).
And in our opinion, even a return to his favourite venue and preferred surface is unlikely to provide enough of a tonic.
Rafa Nadal – 4/1
While Murray endures plenty of growing pains, Nadal appears to have overcome his much-publicised fitness battles.
Whether he can once again flourish on grass is subject to debate but there’s no denying the Spaniard’s renaissance.
Nadal has reached the final of the Australian Open and claimed a 10th French Open title in 2017. It’d be unwise to completely rule him out from rolling back the years to claim a third Wimbledon title and first since 2010.
Novak Djokovic – 13/2
How do you solve a problem like Djokovic? The Serbian super star is a shadow of his brilliant best and will bizarrely enter this tournament under the radar.
A good run at Eastbourne could change that of course but the fact remains that Novak looks nowhere near the player that won Wimbledon in 2011, 2014 and 2015.
His straight sets defeat to rising star Dominic Thiem in the French Open quarter-finals could well be a symbol of the changing of the guard.
Or maybe, just maybe, Djokovic will surprise us all this July?
Nick Kyrgios – 14/1
Sometime soon Nick Kyrgios is going to have to do something special to match his undoubted talent.
Granted, the Australian firebrand is still only 22-years-old. But patience is already wearing thin among spectators and punters alike following a string of high-profile meltdowns.
A quarter-final berth three years ago is Kyrgios’ best performance at Wimbledon to date. However, he’s beaten Djokovic twice already this year and if fighting fit and on-form he could better that result.
Alexander Zverev – 16/1
There’s no doubt that Alexander Zverev is a precocious talent and this year’s Rome Masters hero looks a decent each-way punt to further showcase his promise.
Grass also seems to suit the German, having reached the Halle final before being on the receiving end of a Federer masterclass.
The 20-year reached the third round at Wimbledon last year and we fancy he’ll improve upon that and be spotted in the second week in 2017.
Dominic Thiem – 28/1
Thiem has been talked up for a while, and like Kyrgiois, it’s time for the 23-year-old to really make a statement.
Semi-final appearances in each of the last two French Open renewals have shown he is more than capable of going deep into majors.
But the Austrian will probably be disappointed that he hasn’t been past the second round at SW19 before.
He won on grass in Stuttgart last year so he does have some pedigree on the surface. And now Thiem has the chance to follow that up and really lay down a Grand Slam marker.
Click here for the latest Wimbledon odds.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing
