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Dissecting the men’s draw


 

Dissecting the Wimbledon men’s draw
The Wimbledon home favourite: Andy Murray

R1: Liam Broady (GBR) (WC) v Andy Murray (GBR) [2]
Until last week, Andy Murray had not played another British player since 2006 – but after beating Aljaz Bedene and Kyle Edmund en route to a fifth Aegon Championships title at Queen’s Club, he will face a third in as many weeks as he opens his 11th Wimbledon campaign against the world No.234. A favourable draw sees him avoid both Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer until the final, although a fourth round clash with Nick Kyrgios could prove to be a cracker.
Prediction: Murray in straight sets

Murray’s projected route to the title
R1 Liam Broady (GBR)
R2 Lu Yen-Hsun (TPE)
R3 Benoit Paire (FRA) [26]
R4 Nick Kyrgios (AUS) [15]
QF Richard Gasquet (FRA) [7]
SF Stan Wawrinka (SUI) [4]
F   Novak Djokovic (SRB) [1]

 

The defending champion: Novak Djokovic

R1: Novak Djokovic (SRB) [1] v James Ward (GBR) (WC)
There are 176 ranking places between world No.1 Novak Djokovic and first-round opponent James Ward, but Djokovic will have to contend with the added challenge of the home crowd when he kicks off his Wimbledon defence against the British wildcard on Monday. Ward has form on home soil – the Londoner upset John Isner in a five-set thriller in last year’s Davis Cup tie against USA in Glasgow, but he is unlikely to trouble Djokovic, who will have too much in all departments.
Prediction: Djokovic in straight sets

Djokovic’s projected route to the title
R1 James Ward (GBR)
R2 Adrian Mannarino (FRA)
R3 Sam Querrey (USA) [28]
R4 David Ferrer (ESP) [13]
QF Milos Raonic (CAN) [6]
SF Roger Federer (SUI) [3]
F   Andy Murray (GBR) [2]

 

The seven-time champion: Roger Federer

R1: Roger Federer (SUI) [3] v Guido Pella (ARG)
Seven-time champion Federer heads to Wimbledon with seven matches on grass – the last time he had that many matches under his belt on his arrival at the All England Club was in 2002 when he played ‘s-Hertogenbosch and Halle. After missing the French Open with a back injury, Federer’s fitness remains under question, with semi-final defeats to Dominic Thiem and Alexander Zverev in Stuttgart and Halle respectively. He should have no troubles against world No.51 Pella, but it remains to be seen how far he can go in the tournament.
Prediction: Federer in four

Federer’s projected route to the title
R1 Guido Pella (ARG)
R2 Ricardas Berankis (LTU)
R3 Alexandr Dolgopolov (UKR) [30]
R4 Gilles Simon (FRA) [16]
QF Kei Nishikori (JPN) [5]
SF Novak Djokovic (SRB) [1]
F   Andy Murray (GBR) [2]
The form player: Milos Raonic

R1: Pablo Carreno-Busta (ESP) v Milos Raonic (CAN) [6]
With a game based on Pete Sampras, Raonic’s big serve is put to good effect on the grass, as he demonstrated in reaching the Aegon Championships final last week. With another former Wimbledon champion – John McEnroe – in his box, the Canadian will be looking to improve on his 2014 semi-final showing at SW19.  He has a relatively kind draw for the first week, but should he reach the last eight, he could potentially have to beat the three best players in the world if he is to become a Grand Slam champion.
Prediction: Raonic in straight sets

Raonic’s projected route to the title
R1 Pablo Carreno Busta (ESP)
R2 Andreas Seppi (ITA)
R3 Jack Sock (USA) [27]
R4 David Goffin (BEL) [11]
QF Novak Djokovic (SRB) [1]
SF Roger Federer (SUI) [3]
F   Andy Murray (GBR) [2]

 

Young gun: Nick Kyrgios

R1: Nick Kyrgios (AUS) [15] v Radek Stepanek (CZE) (WC)
Arguably the tie of the first round, if Radek Stepanek plays as well as he did against Andy Murray at Roland Garros, we could be in for a cracker. At 37, world No.121 Stepanek is the underdog against the No.15 seed , but the Czech is a former Top 10 player and a wily competitor and Kyrgios will need to remain focused to get the job done.
Prediction: Kyrgios in five

Kyrgios’ projected route to the title
R1 Radek Stepanek (CZE) (WC)
R2 Dusan Lajovic (SRB)
R3 Feliciano Lopez (ESP) [22]
R4 Andy Murray (GBR) [2]
QF Richard Gasquet (FRA) [7]
SF Stan Wawrinka (SUI) [4]
F   Novak Djokovic (SRB) [1]
New kid on the block: Alexander Zverev

R1: Alexander Zverev (GER) [24] v Paul-Henri Mathieu (FRA)
It has been a breakthrough season for Zverev, who has climbed from No.83 to No.28 in just six months. He claimed his first Top 10 scalp against Roger Federer in Halle last week and he can boast wins over Marin Cilic, Gilles Simon (three times), Grigor Dimitrov (twice) and David Goffin this year. Tomas Berdych potentially lies in wait in the third round, but don’t bet against him reaching the second week of a Grand Slam for the first time.
Prediction:  Zverev in four

Zverev’s projected route to the title
R1 Paul-Henri Mathieu (FRA)
R2 Mikhail Youzhny (RUS)
R3 Tomas Berdych (CZE) [10]
R4 Dominic Thiem (AUT) [8]
QF Stan Wawrinka (SUI) [4]
SF Andy Murray (GBR) [2]
F   Novak Djokovic (SRB) [1]


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Tim Farthing, Tennishead Editorial Director & Owner, has been a huge tennis fan his whole life. He's a tennis journalist and entrepreneur as well as playing tennis to a national standard. He also helps manage his local club and volunteers for his local tennis organisation. He's a specialist in content about the administration of professional tennis and tennis coaching for all levels.