Wimbledon 2021 kicks off Monday, and even with heavy hitters like Naomi Osaka and Rafael Nadal not competing, it’s sure to be an entertaining Slam.
With no Rafael Nadal in his path as a possible spoiler, Djokovic’s in position to win for the sixth time at Wimbledon.
Five times the champion, on a roll again after winning the first two slams of the season and with a massive carrot to chase, the calendar year Grand Slam.
Bill Connelly: Nothing would be more enjoyable than Federer making another run, but he hasn’t gotten past about third gear yet in his 2021 comeback, so it’s hard to believe that might happen.
Sam Gore: Federer.
Tom Hamilton: It’s Djokovic’s championship to lose, as he chases his third Slam on the bounce, having taken the Australian Open and Roland Garros.
The GOAT is Aussie Rod Laver with two career calendar Grand Slams in 1962 and 1969, but Djokovic could own the greatest generation ever with a “Golden Slam” that would include the Tokyo Games Gold medal.
D’Arcy Maine: It’s hard to see anyone beating Djokovic right now.
As the French Open proved, beating Djokovic in a best of 5-set match is one of the toughest asks in all of sports.
Kathleen McNamee: It’s hard to look past Djokovic as he seeks to join Nadal and Roger Federer on 20 Grand Slams. The ghost of 2016 won’t be far away, but a favorable draw should help settle any early nerves.
Federer knows all of this — and he plays on Centre Court, a court that plays differently than all others.
But, based on the recent history in women’s tennis, I wouldn’t bet my house — or your house — on Barty winning it all.
This is Serena’s big chance, but it still feels like too many people can beat her in the end.
back to Kvitova! If she gets past Sloane Stephens in the first round, she could get rolling, and it sure feels like she’s due a run.
Though the early oddsmakers favor Serena, she hasn’t won a major since 2017; this is an excellent opportunity on a surface her game is so good on.
Hamilton: I was going to tip Simona Halep until she withdrew early Friday, so Ashleigh Barty is now my favorite to win Wimbledon.
Jensen: Serena: In a tournament with so many unknowns I go with the player with the biggest trophy case that is running out of room for more hardware.
The 23-time major champion didn’t look her best at the French Open and didn’t play in a single lead-in event on grass, but given her favorable draw and her career-long success on the surface, this could be her opportunity to tie Margaret Court’s record.
She’ll benefit from the upset loss to Angelique Kerber in Germany in the tune up.
She is a natural baseliner, but she has learned to use her volleys wisely — if not always the way they should be.
She has worked on varying it and in the end, relying on her muscle in putting in a big one when she needs it.
Her draw is pretty favorable and having to pull out with injury at the French will motivate her.
Shriver: The women’s game, as Roland Garros continued to show, is impossible to predict.
After reaching the quarter’s in last year’s US Open, you would have expected this would be the year for Shapovalov to make an impact.
Nick Kyrgios could do well, despite his lack of matches, but I’ll go for Shapovalov to have a breakthrough.
He won Halle two weeks ago, and if he can get past perma-wildcard Nick Kyrgios in the first round, the draw opens up nicely — he could play Felix Auger-Aliassime in the fourth.
He knows what it takes to win big matches here, and though injuries have held him back recently, he’s been getting better and better lately, having won the Stuttgart title on grass and then going straight to the QF of Queens.
Hamilton: Marin Cilic and Ugo Humbert are both long-shots with the bookmakers, but will take heart from their recent triumphs in Stuttgart and Halle, respectively.
Keep an eye on how he progresses with his balance and movement on the always slick grass courts, especially in the first week when the grass is very green.
Humbert meanwhile put together one of the best weeks of his career at Halle earlier this month, defeating Sam Querrey, Zverev, Sebastian Korda, Felix Auger Aliassime and Andrey Rublev en route to his first ATP 500 title.
On the winning side, he won his second career title — the first came in 2020 and made him the youngest to win one since Kei Nishikori in 2008 — and reached his first ATP Masters 1000 final.
He’s 6-foot-5, in the top 50 and has been mentored well by his father.
Shriver: I am picking the winner of Ugo Humbert or Nick Kyrgios to make a big run to the second week of Wimbledon.
Why not at the place, Wimbledon, where she shocked the tennis world with a win over Venus Williams in 2019.
Cambers: Two-time champion Petra Kvitova has the class to reach the final again, but it all depends on how her ankle has recovered from that crazy slip during an interview in Paris.
She could end up against old friend Serena in the third round , but she’s landed her fair share of shots against Serena through the years.
Gilbert: Almost a guarantee there will be an unseeded player in the semis, and probably two, which has been happening at every Slam the last handful of years.
Gauff will one day win a Grand Slam — it’s just a case of “when,” rather than “if.” But I am hoping for Petra Kvitova to have a great run at Wimbledon.
She comes into this Wimbledon with solid momentum, having just reached her first major quarterfinal at Roland Garros and is playing with a career high ranking inside the top 25.
She has such a great corner man in David Witt, who is one of the brightest minds in tennis, constantly showing her what is possible with her unlimited potential.
Maine: As everyone knows by now, or at least after watching Krejcikova’s incredible run at Roland Garros, there are dozens of women capable of winning a major title, and the Wimbledon champion could very well be someone unseeded and not mentioned by any of us.
She made the semifinals in Berlin and won the doubles title there, and she saved four match points in an incredible victory over Alize Cornet in Bad Homburg for a second-round victory.
I can see her advancing to the fourth round where she’d potentially face Williams. Please, tennis gods.
After winning six doubles titles — both women’s and mixed — between 2018 and 2021 she finally got her hands on a singles title at the 2021 French Open.
Sure, she’s not expected to do much by oddsmakers, but the serve is there.
The sentimental pick is Serena for her 24th singles major but having watched her practice courtside on Friday, I just don’t see her winning seven matches in two weeks.