The Next Wimbledon Champions? Part 1 – Federer, and Mladenovic
The tennis circuit is practically in turmoil. With Murray and Wawrinka losing early in Queen’s, Roger still shaky from his break, and the women’s Wimbledon trophy up for grabs, things are getting pretty messy. Still, there are some people who come to mind when we think about the next Wimbledon champion.
Roger Federer: Yes, I could be just singing the wistful tune of a 2008 tennis fanatic, but there is no doubt that grass is Roger’s surface, and that he is bound to be 10 times better on grass than he would be on any other surface, even if not game wise, but mentally, because Wimbledon is special to Roger, just like Roland Garros is special to Nadal.
There isn’t a need to talk about Roger’s dominance on grass, or bring up stats, but we may as well gloss over some of the important ones. When it comes to recent stats and win loss records on grass, Roger has dominated even though his prowess on tour has diminished as the years have gone by. In 2015 Roger won 11 of his 12 matches on grass. In 2016 he won 10 of his 13 matches. We could however highlight the fact that in 2016 Roger was unable to win a single title, whether it be on grass or any other surface. He wasn’t able to retain his title at Halle, an arena that Roger has won a record eight titles at, more than any other professional player.
Roger’s play at Wimbledon is legendary, such that every single add break during the tournament will contain some advertisement of Roger Federer and a Rolex on grass. With 7 Wimbledon titles to his name, a joint record with William Renshaw and Pete Sampras, Roger is always a threat. This is Roger’s territory. Roger could probably walk blindfolded from the locker rooms, through the Wimbledon club building to the courts. And even though Roger might be wobbling a little bit right now, once he steps onto those freshly mowed grass courts, we can bet that he will no longer show any signs of weakness.
But this is all old news. We want to know if Roger can win Wimbledon in 2017, and the way he has been playing this year so far has been pointing towards another title. Roger started the year off with a bang, winning the Australian Open, Indian Wells and Miami. The major doubt though, is whether Roger will be able to find his rhythm in time for him to win Wimbledon because of his two month hiatus during the clay season.
Roger’s form this year has been dazzling, with a newly improved backhand, and a highly aggressive game that enables him to take the ball on the rise and move forward to the net, a game style that is highly effective on a surface like grass. Throw in some slices and good serve and volleys, and Roger may just be able to pull this off. Another plus point is that Roger’s two month break has given Roger time to not only improve certain aspects of his game, but also rest his body which ensures that he will be fresh when he gets back onto the courts at Wimbledon.
It all depends on how fast Roger can get his game back together.
Kristina Mladenovic: She’s young, she’s hits fast, and she’s quickly made her way through the rankings. More than just her rankings though, Mladenovic has had a strong year on both the hard courts and clay courts. Her recent performance at the French Open is only another testament to her strong game which lead her all the way to the quarterfinals at Roland Garros. She may not have had the best results in previous years, and she may not have had the best results when considering several other players on tour, but she’s an up and coming star just waiting for a break and that special aura that Wimbledon has just may be the place where she becomes a champion. The recent increase in positive results for Mladenovic’s game has been exponential, and the signs of something big happening are there.
When it comes to Mladenovic’s game, she has many facets that could be to her advantage on grass courts. As a a former and very successful doubles player, Mladenovic has developed a game that is highly aggressive, which suits fast courts. She has a strong serve, one which rivals some the best out there, and her doubles play has helped her hone her volleys into weapons.
Mladenovic however, has had some trouble with injuries throughout her career. Just recently at the French Open she experienced some strain in her back which hindered her serve greatly, and proved to cause some trouble for her throughout the matches she played. Her ability to reach the quarterfinals without her greatest weapon though does show that she has the make up of a champion. If Mladenovic can win some tough matches when she is unable to play at one hundred percent, she should be able to prove her worth on grass as well.
Hopefully she would be all healed by the time Wimbledon rolls around, and back at hundred percent. With her serves kicking once again, we can be sure that the rest of her game will also be kicking. Just like the butterfly effect, as Mladenovic regains her confidence in her serve, she will be willing to take more risks with less pressure, which usually results in more instances of success. With her aggressive style of play, Mladenovic should be able to dominate on grass, and since Mladenovic is an avid supporter of Roger Federer, we can be sure that Wimbledon holds a special place in her heart as well.
Mladenovic may just be our 2017 Wimbledon champion. There is no doubt that there is tons of untapped potential that is just waiting to be unleashed.
Wimbledon may just be time for the French player to shine.
These are two players who may just be engraved on the Wimbledon Wall in 2017. There is no doubt though, there are many more strong contenders. Look forward to some more in Part 2, and in the meantime enjoy this Novak v/s Roger Wimbledon 2014 Highlights.
To say Fed has as good of a chance as anyone else would be pointing out the obvious. Any of the 128 competitors could conceivably win. The reality is with a fortnight of tennis that the draw, weather, etc. play a big factor. If he can make it to week two without dropping a set his chances become a bit better as the cumulative effect of seven straight matches can take its toll on anyone when the earlier rounds include some 4 hour 5 set matches. It would make for a dream final for the tournament and for tennis as a whole to have the man who has carried the ambassador mantle for the last decade and a half raise the silver cup and not the platter.