In hindsight, it seems ludicrous to have considered that Roger Federer was past his prime and on the verge of retirement. This was the case just a couple of years ago, and all of the signs seemed to be suggested that the Swiss star was going to fade away gracefully from the ATP tour. Yet Federer’s resilience and outright class can never be forgotten, with the player enjoying a remarkable renaissance that has propelled him to the top of the rankings. Federer will inevitably call it a day in the next few years, but such is his supremacy at Wimbledon that he could be fifty years old and still arrive as favourite.
While Federer hasn’t delivered a stranglehold as tight as rival Rafael Nadal’s over the French Open, there are no standout competitors when it comes to this year’s Wimbledon. Nadal has a sensational and, quite frankly, ridiculous, record at Roland Garros, with eleven titles there marking his ownership over the Grand Slam. However, there were faint hopes that Dominic Thiem could have usurped Nadal at this year’s tournament. Nadal ultimately defeated Thiem with ease in the final, but Thiem has been marked out as the heir to the king of clay and perhaps the only player capable of beating Nadal on that surface.
Federer faces no such clear-cut rival on the grass of Wimbledon. Andy Murray would be the obvious choice, but injuries have blighted his past year on court. A recent outing at Queen’s offered promising signs, but it is surely too soon for Murray to operate at peak level in best-of-five across a fortnight of intense pressure. Murray fell to Nick Kyrgios 6-2 6-7 5-7 in what The Guardian deemed an extraordinary match, with the enigmatic Kyrgios a predicted contender for Grand Slam titles. Kyrgios has the game to beat anyone, but his mentality on the biggest stages is likely to let him down in the same way that Murray’s fitness may be a decisive issue in this year’s tournament.
Novak Djokovic has also suffered injury problems, but the Serb looks further along the path to recovery than Murray. Odds of 6/1 with William Hill for Djokovic to lift the trophy in Wimbledon reflect the promising signs displayed in recent matches. Djokovic gave glimpses of his indomitable best in Rome and at the French Open, while he has shown no lack of aptitude on grass courts by winning three Wimbledon titles. Yet fitness concerns will inevitably be difficult to shake; Djokovic’s burgeoning form at the French Open was cut short in quarter-final defeat to outsider Marco Cecchinato, a player comfortable on clay but with no pedigree at the highest level. This hints at an expected inability for Djokovic to maintain peak physical fitness across a prolonged period.
Perhaps then the player to cause Federer the most problems will be the fittest opponent. Marin Cilic’s game adapts well to grass, although Federer has notably swatted aside his challenges in the past. Alexander Zverev put to bed some of the question marks hanging over his Grand Slam credentials with a swashbuckling run at the French Open, but his inability to see out matches efficiently would be exploited by Federer. Beyond that, big servers like Juan Martin Del Potro and John Isner may fancy their chances to run deep at Wimbledon but there are few bigger servers than Federer. He may be 36 and few could have anticipated that he would be favourite at Wimbledon in 2018, but it will take a stunning shock to prevent Federer from claiming an incredible ninth title.
