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

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.