Wimbledon 2012 – Men's Preview

Finally, Wimbledon – The Mecca of Tennis has arrived. Wimbledon will always have a special place in the heart of true tennis lovers – above Australian Open, French Open and US Open. A tournament, which started in 1877, still rules the tennis world.

It has been much debated that the grass of Wimbledon is not the same anymore. It is slower than what it used to be. Thus, players like Nadal, who relentlessly keep on chasing the ball, have an advantage over players who believe in playing short rallies.

Now comes the important question – Who will be the Wimbledon 2012 Champion. There are two ways to answer the question. First is to use your brain, follow logic and come to the conclusion that Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal have reached unattainable heights and it is practically not possible for any other player to defeat them. Other is to use your heart and still support Roger Federer (which I’ll be doing) for winning the tournament. It seems that the elegance and artistic play brought in by RF will not be able to sustain the physical onslaught dished out by Djokovic and Nadal. And then there always is Andy Murray, who may perhaps in some other era, could have won number of Grand Slams. He is good enough to reach semis, but somehow it seems he has lost the battle mentally. It seems as if he can defeat any player but Djokovic (Although he came agonizingly close to defeating him in the semi finals of the Australian Open 2012), Nadal or Federer.

Also there is a new breed of players coming up – Tsonga, Del Potro, Berdych and Ferrer, who all seem to have the capability of defeating top seed players but do not seem to possess the required nerve to go all the way. It is worth mentioning that Del Potro, who was 2 sets to 1 down in the US Open 2009 finals, fought back to take the title. However, ever since he injured his wrist, which practically ruined his 2010, he doesn’t seem to be the same force.

Ask me to put my money on some player and it would definitely be on Djokovic. All said and done Nadal has come back roaring on to center court and is looking his best. It still would be asking for too much to expect Nadal to defeat Djokovic. The mental scars of getting defeated by the same man in previous 3 grand slam finals prior to the French Open of 2012 may just be too much to overcome.

Whosoever wins the tournament, one thing is sure that the spectators will have a cracker of a time. It’s time to sit back, relax and watch players hitting at unbelievable angles, unbelievable speeds and give a tough time to each other. The audience is going to have a gala time and I am going to keep my fingers crossed for RF.