The Grass Cutters
By: Teddy Bishop
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Wimbledon! The oldest and most prestigious tennis tournament on the planet!
Since 1877, the All England Club in London has hosted The Championships, Wimbledon, all of them have been on grass.
Since 2003, either Roger Federer or Novak Djokovic has taken home the gentlemen’s trophy with only four exceptions. Rafael Nadal won in 2008 and 2010; Andy Murray in ’13 and ’16.
Federer, the #2 seed, has conquered these fabled grass courts eight times, more than any other man. Federer has also won 20 Grand Slam titles, also more than any other man.
Roger could face Kei Nishikori or John Isner before a potential semi-final matchup against Nadal. A final for Federer would probably match him against Djokovic.
Federer will be 38 in August but is coming off a tenth grass court championship at the Halle Open two weeks ago. Roger Federer last hoisted the Wimbledon trophy in 2017.
Novak Djokovic, the defending champion and the #1 seed, will be vying for his fifth title at the All England Club. Djokovic has 15 Grand Slam titles and hopes to eventually become the all-time slamholder.
Novak, age 32, may have the toughest draw of the top four seeds, including an interesting first round match against Philipp Kohlschreiber, who beat Djokovic at Indian Wells in March.
Djokovic could also play Stefanos Tsitsipas, the #7 seed, in a quarter-final. Djokovic is slated to play against Kevin Anderson in the semis and either Federer or Nadal in the final.
Rafael Nadal, age 33, is seeded third and has some interesting matches if he makes it to the final. Rafa could play Nick Kyrgious in the second round and Marin Cilic in the fourth.
Barring upsets, Nadal would have a quarter-final match against Dominic Thiem before meeting Federer in the semis.
His 18 Slam titles has him only two behind Federer with a strong possibility of eventually surpassing him.
Kevin Anderson is the #4 seed even though he is ranked eighth in the world. Anderson lost to Djokovic in the final last year and would have to get through Alexander Zverev (#6) in order to meet Novak in the semis.
On the ladies’ side, Ash Barty is the #1 seed while Naomi Osaka is #2, Karolina Pliskova #3, and Kiki Bertens #4. Angie Kerber, Petra Kvitova, Simona Halep, and Elina Svitolina are #s 5-8, respectively.
Barty won the French Open and followed it up with a win at Birmingham (England, not Alabama). Barty could very well win the ladies’ title but has very tough draw.
Osaka won last year’s U.S. Open and this year’s Australian Open but has faltered in recent tournaments.
Pliskova, Kerber, and Halep are all former #1 players, and Kerber is the defending champion. If Kerber can get past Serena Williams in the 4th round, she will probably sail into the final.
Kvitova won Wimbledon in 2011 and 2014. Bertens and Svitolina have had good 2019 seasons and could make strong runs at Wimbledon.
Serena, age 37, has won Wimbledon seven times and is hoping to tie Margaret Court’s record of 24 Grand Slam titles. Serena is seeded 11th and is always a threat to win any tournament she enters but hasn’t quite regained her pre-baby success.
Venus Williams has won Wimbledon five times, but the last one was 2008. Venus, 39, plays 15-year-old Cori Gauff in the first round.
The gentlemen’s champion and the ladies’ champion will earn almost $3 million each.
The runners-up will get almost $1.5 million each. Even first round losers will receive about $57,000. The ladies champion will receive the Venus Rosewater Dish rather than a trophy.
The champions? Novak Djokovic and Angie Kerber.
Ahh, Wimbledon!
