Wimbledon 2013 wish list

A view of the Wimbledon Centre Court

Intermittent drizzles, light banter, fresh strawberries and cream, fashion statements on white outfits and above all, sublime tennis! It’s time to move away from the red clay of Paris to the green grass of Wimbledon! The 127th edition of Wimbledon Championships starts in a week (24th June to 7^th July) and here is my wish-list for the tournament.

Resurgence of Venus Williams:

If Rafa is the King of Clay, Venus is the Queen of Grass. Grass is her favourite surface and her performance in the previous editions is testament to that. She has ten Wimbledon titles, five in singles and five in doubles. But unlike Serena, age, injuries and recent dip in form have certainly affected Venus. It would be remarkable if she reaches the quarter or semi-finals of women’s singles.

More serve and volley:

Powerful, grinding baseline tennis is a pleasure to watch, especially on clay. But on grass, serve and volley has a special place. Roger Federer, Karlovic and Stephanek are known for their exceptional serve and prompt net approach. Even though most competitors are concentrating on long rallies and baseline play, there are many players such as Raonic, Isner and Tsonga who can bring back the wonderful serve and volley in the game.

Wish Monfils plays:

Gael Monfils can bring smiles to many faces with his wonderful on-court game, superior agility and cheerful demeanor. He is in good form and had a fantastic outing at French Open, where he had caused a major upset by ousting Tomas Berdych in the first round. He won’t be playing Wimbledon due to personal reasons. As unrealistic as it might be, I still wish he plays in Wimbledon.

No major rain delays:

From light drizzles to day-long downpours, you can never rely on English weather. Beautiful it might be, but abandoning play due to rain is not an easy move for players, trainers, organizers and spectators. Only the Centre Court has a sliding roof to combat the rain. Rain can affect play on other courts. Rain is the quintessential charm of Wimbledon, but I hope to see uninterrupted tennis for two weeks without any major rain delays.

No first week exit for top seeds:

Wimbledon 2012 was marked by some of biggest upsets of all time. We all love to cheer for the dark horses; but when it comes to favourite top-seeded players, people want to watch them again in the second week. Whether it is from the men’s or women’s draw, I wish there is no first week exit for top seeds.

Good run by the old warriors:

Thirty-plus players including Haas, Hewitt, Date Krumm and Llodra can match their younger compatriots on any day, and give them a tough fight. They have given us many exceptional matches, but just like good old wine, those are not enough. We want to see them play more and win.

Dramatic dark horses:

Gulbis, Tipsarevic, Dimitrov, Dolgopolov, Stephens or Lisicki, anyone can be a dark horse in the tournament, causing upsets and taking away the spotlight from other players. On a given day, many of them can defeat top seeded players. But can they do it consistently throughout the tournament?

Epic matches:

Say epic matches and the first thing that come into mind is the 2008 Wimbledon final, where Rafael Nadal ended the reign of Roger Federer. Over the years, we have seen many great matches on grass, including the tiring Isner vs Mahut marathon and the unforgettable Federer vs Roddick final. Hope Wimbledon 2013 won’t disappoint fans, and will give us some spectacular, nail biting matches.

Rafael Nadal: Third Wimbledon title

After last year’s disastrous second round exit in the tournament and an eight-month long hiatus from the tour, the Rafa we know is back. And like any other Nadal fan, a third Wimbledon title for Rafa tops my wish-list. Also, it will be a plus to win against Federer and Djokovic on grass.