Wimbledon 2013: Experts' picks for the men's draw

Tommy Haas (left) and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga

The tennis experts of Sportskeeda look ahead at the 2013 Wimbledon Championships by making picks for the men’s draw in four categories: dark horse, early exit, dangerous floater, and champion.

1. Dark horse

Haresh Ramchandani: Roger Rasheed, the coach of Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, says that his charge is a young 28 since he barely played tennis between the ages of 19 to 21. And the Frenchman seems to be maturing well with age. But the million dollar question is: is he ready to win a Grand Slam? Tsonga has all the weapons he needs to win on grass. Mental strength and better shot selection at crucial points are the only things he needs to work on to achieve his dream.

Anand Datla: Rafael Nadal’s seeding has meant that the draw is skewed in favour of the men landing in the top half. Grigor Dimitrov has a potential third round date with Juan Martin Del Potro, who suffered a quarter-final loss to Lleyton Hewitt at Queen’s. The winner of this match could proceed deep into the second week and after that, with a little bit of luck thrown in, you never know what could happen.

Roh: Jo-Wilfried Tsonga‘s performance at Roland Garros was quite impressive. It wouldn’t be surprising to see Tsonga come up with an equally marauding display at Wimbledon.

Varun Jog: Cannot look beyond Jo-Wilfried Tsonga for this one. He has produced some of his best tennis at Wimbledon, reaching the semifinals here the last two years, and he’s been in fine form at the Slams this year, having just beaten Federer at the French Open. The fast courts at SW19 suit his game, but the big question is whether he can string together a few good performances, the failure to do which has been his biggest downfall over the years. An upset or two among the Big 4 could open up the draw for him and with a bit of luck, this could well be his year.

Ram Narayanan: I can’t think of anyone but Jo-Wilfried Tsonga as the dark horse of this year’s Wimbledon. On his day he is capable of beating anyone. Having reached the semifinal of the French Open this year, he is primed to put in an even better performance on grass. Murray did so well last year with the help of his new coach Ivan Lendl. Likewise, under his new coach Roger Rasheed, I believe the Frenchman will put a better show for the remaining part of the season.

Sudeshna Banerjee: Normally I don’t like to bet against the Fab Four when it comes to winning a Slam, but if I have to pick someone, that would be Tommy Haas. At 35, the man is enjoying an incredible resurgence and he has a Wimbledon semi-final appearance on his resume as well. He reached the French Open quarter finals this year and the last four stage in Halle just last week. He will most probably once again lock horns with the World No. 1 Novak Djokovic. They are tied at 1-1 this year which makes their third battle intriguing.

Musab Abid: Grigor Dimitrov has been on the cusp of greatness for what seems like an eternity, and his attack-based game should, theoretically at least, find solid rewards on grass. And don’t look now, but he is in a very cushy portion of the draw. All the signs seem to be pointing towards a breakthrough run by the Bulgarian, a run that might even culminate in a maiden Slam title. Don’t scoff; stranger things have happened before at SW19.

Nicolas Almagro of Spain returns the ball againts Rafael Nadal of Spain during his final match of day seven of the 2013 Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell

2. Early exit

Haresh Ramchandani: Stanislas Wawrinka is enjoying one of the best runs of his career in 2013. But the Swiss #2 has drawn former champion Lleyton Hewitt in the first round. Hewitt is not contending for Major titles, or for that matter even the minor titles, anymore. But I’m picking him to upset Wawrinka in the first round here.

Anand Datla: Stanislas Wawrinka has landed a fist fight against the Aussie street fighter Lleyton Hewitt. Considering the Australian’s recent good form on grass, this is a tricky opener for the 11th seed. Hewitt might be ageing, but Wawrinka will not exactly be riding on a fresh pair of legs. The Swiss number two is enjoying a full week in Eastbourne, having reached the finals.

Roh: 12th seed Nicolas Almagro, who has never been fond of grass, could easily be a casualty in the early rounds of the tournament.

Varun Jog: Grass has never been Juan Martin del Potro’s favourite surface, and the Argentine is struggling a fair bit this year. He was bounced out in the third round of the Australian Open and he’s just coming back from injury, having missed the French Open. He made an unconvincing return at Queen’s last week and could well find himself packing his bags early in preparation for his favourite surface – hard courts.

Ram Narayanan: Two names come to my mind here – Nicolas Almagro and Janko Tipsarevic. But if you ask me to pick one of them, then I will have to go with the Spanish guy, since grass is his least preferred surface and he has never been able to make his way beyond the third round at Wimbledon.

Sudeshna Banerjee: 11th seeded Stanislas Wawrinka‘s first round match couldn’t possibly have got any tougher. Facing Lleyton Hewitt, who is the 2002 Wimbledon champion and has the second most grass wins among active players, is an arduous task. Hewitt showed last week he still has the goods on the green turf by reaching the semi-finals on the pristine lawns at Queen’s Club. For the Swiss, who reached his first grasscourt final this week at Rosmalen, that surely portends a dangerous signal.

Musab Abid: My pick here is tied to my pick in the dark horse category. At whose expense do I expect Grigor Dimitrov to make it far this tournament? Juan Martin del Potro has traditionally needed a lot of time to get back in his groove after an injury, and his play didn’t look very encouraging during the Wimbledon tuneup event at Queen’s. He’s slated to meet Dimitrov in the 3rd round, and I wouldn’t be surprised at all if the Bulgarian pulled off the upset.

Lleyton Hewitt of Australia celebrates victory during the Men’s Singles quarter final round match against Juan Martin del Potro of Argentina on day five of the AEGON Championships at Queens Club

3. Dangerous floater

Haresh Ramchandani: Lukas Rosol! The Czech player defeated Nadal here last year and could meet Federer in the third round this time. If Rosol gets trigger-happy and trigger-lucky, Federer could be in trouble.

Anand Datla: It has got to be Ernests Gulbis. The 24-year-old is ranked 38th, but the Latvian is one man that could cause some serious damage. He is slated to meet Edouard Roger-Vasselin in the first round before earning a shot at Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the second round. Anything is possible in that match, which is possibly the most exciting second round match on offer.

Roh: Feliciano Lopez has made it to the Wimbledon quarterfinals thrice before – in 2005, 2008 and 2011. Though he’s not exactly been at the top of his game recently, Lopez is one Spaniard who has always been considered to be quite competent on grass. He will be a player to watch out for.

Varun Jog: Ernests Gulbis has blown hot and cold this year, but he has finally managed to show at least some glimpses of his tremendous potential. He has jumped more than 100 spots in the rankings this year and has run Rafael Nadal close on clay twice so far, at Monte Carlo this year and in Rome a few years ago. His temperament has always been an issue, especially at the Grand Slams, but he has the potential to upset a few big names during the first week.

Ram Narayanan: The manner in which former Wimbledon champion Lleyton Hewitt overcame the stiff challenge of Juan Martin del Potro in Queen’s last week proves that there is still some tennis left in the Australian. He may be ranked No. 70 in the world right now but he is still good enough to beat some of the players inside the top thirty, at least on grass. He faces Stanislas Wawrinka in the first round and I am quite confident of him registering an upset.

Sudeshna Banerjee: I am putting my faith in the talented yet temperamental Ernests Gulbis once again. He was heavily expected to outlast a weary Gael Monfils in Paris but he failed to pass that test. The fast surface at SW19 will aid Gulbis more and I am picking him to upset Monfils’s compatriot Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the second round. And with Gulbis around, perhaps the post-match press conferences won’t be as ‘boring’.

Musab Abid: I’m tempted to go with Bernard Tomic (is it still fashionable to predict great things for him?), but I’ll go with his senior countryman instead. Lleyton Hewitt showed plenty of spunk during his semifinal run at Queen’s last week, and his supremely competent grasscourt game should help him put in yet another sterling performance at his favourite Slam. Stanislas Wawrinka has been the unlucky one to draw the unseeded Hewitt in the first round, and that match has ‘danger’ written all over it for the Swiss.

4. Champion

Haresh Ramchandani: It’s hard to pick between the Big Four at SW19 this year. But Andy Murray is going to be fresh and motivated to end the long-standing British drought at their home Slam. Murray’s experience of having reached the finals here last year and then winning the Olympic gold medal will help him. And with Federer and Nadal clashing in the quarters, there will be one less top player for him to beat to win the title.

Anand Datla: Rafael Nadal is on a 22-match winning streak and is a formidable player on any surface. He has enjoyed recent victories over both Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer, adding to his bulging bag of confidence. The Spaniard will likely have to knife past Federer, Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic to bite into the trophy. But then Nadal is the kind who gets stronger when the going gets tougher.

Roh: The Djoker may have fallen short at the French Open hurdle, but he can make up for it at Wimbledon. Novak Djokovic is my pick to win the 2013 Championships.

Varun Jog: With Federer on the decline, Nadal out of match practice on grass and Djokovic not as threatening on grass as he is on other surfaces, Andy Murray is the slight favourite for me going into this year’s Wimbledon. He has been coming closer and closer every year and having finally won a Grand Slam in New York last year, the tears of defeat during last year’s trophy ceremony could well be replaced by tears of joy this time around.

Ram Narayanan: Andy Murray has not been able to win his home Slam till date but that does not mean he is cursed. Arguably, he has a better grasscourt game than Djokovic and more importantly, he has shown to the entire world that he can beat Roger Federer on grass by prevailing over him at last year’s London Olympics. Against his potential semifinal opponent, Rafael Nadal, he may still struggle. Yet, I feel the jinx will finally be broken and the people of United Kingdom will get a chance to stand elated at the end of this year’s Wimbledon. The draw might look Djoker-friendly right now, but Murray has seen, and overcome, harder draws before.

Sudeshna Banerjee: I have to believe Rafael Nadal has unfinished business at Wimbledon after last year’s shocking second round exit. Much like how Serena turned around her fortunes at the merciless French Open after a sobering first round loss in 2012, I have to give Rafa the thumbs up despite the draw putting him in the path of Roger Federer and Andy Murray. And he has the 2011 final defeat at the hands of Novak Djokovic to avenge as well. Questions are already arising if this is going to be the best year of Nadal’s career; his Wimbledon performance might just answer that.

Musab Abid: I was fully prepared to tip either Roger Federer or Andy Murray as the favourite for this year’s tournament, but one look at their draws was enough to convince me otherwise. Federer will likely meet his nemesis Nadal in the quarters, and Murray will likely meet his nemesis Nadal in the semis. Is there any player for whom Nadal is not a nemesis? Yes of course; that man’s name is Novak Djokovic, who is my pick to win it all in London this year. Will his relatively subpar movement on grass hamper his chances? With his kind draw, it probably won’t.