It's 2012. Roger Federer has more Wimbledon trophies than any other active player male or female, and he receives the easiest draw in London.
Humph.
Rafael Nadal broke Bjorn Borg's record at Roland Garros. Federer is looking to simply tie Pete Sampras' record (among gentlemen, that is) at Wimbledon. Can he do it? If so, he'll need someone to dispatch of defending champion Novak Djokovic before the semifinals, which is exactly where Federer will be. He won't squander a two-set-to-love lead in this year's quarterfinals, that's for sure.
Djoke, on the other hand, will have to actually do some work to get there.
The bottom have of the Gentlemen's draw is loaded. Whoever makes the final will be bloody.
Poor Andy Murray. And Nadal.
The American men won't post. None of them.
Best first-round matchup: Phillip Kohlschreiber vs. Tommy Haas. May the better grass-court-playing German win.
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There's no telling what's going on with defending champ Petra Kvitova these days, except that she hasn't won anything all year and has been struggling with just about everything. That she's in Serena Williams' quarter won't make matters any better.
Yeah. I know. The same Serena who choked away a big lead in the first-round in Paris to make history in her own career in a way I won't even type.
But let's be clear: the Serena who arrived in Paris and earned a big lead against Virginie Razzano was playing vintage Serena tennis. Will that kind of form reappear in London? I guess it depends on her mindset. If she's feeling ferocious, she's in another Wimbledon final and I hope she has to go through Marion Bartoli to get there. Other than the Frenchwoman, I just don't see anyone in the bottom half of the draw with a grass court game big enough to trouble her, except maybe a certain Czech, and not the one mentioned above.
We'll see.
Whoever emerges from down there will face Maria Sharapova in the final.
Period.
Best first-round matchup: Kim Clijsters vs. Jelena Jankovic. Just because.
Enjoy the Championships.
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