Wimbledon 2015: Experts' pick for the men's draw

With Wimbledon coming up, experts at Sportskeeda pick their choices for the men’s draw in four categories: Dark Horse, Early Exit, Dangerous Floater and Champion.

1. Dark Horse

   Rafael Nadal

Adnan Akhtar: I am not sure if a two-time champion qualifies for a dark horse choice, but Rafael Nadal has shown in the past that he is capable of making comebacks and what better place then SW19 where the Spaniard has reached the final on 5 occasions.

He has a reasonable draw up to the quarterfinals and can go the distance if he gets into the groove as the tournament progresses.

Ball N Racquet: Gilles Simon could have a good outing this Wimbledon. His grass court preparation is good and he looks set to cause an upset or two. His likely victim could be Tomas Berdych.

Jai Prakash: He has not won a Major in more than a year now, but no one likes to face Rafael Nadal in any Grand Slam. The Spaniard won his first grass court title in five years at Stuttgart earlier this month and if the No. 10 seed gets into the second week in form, top players will be wary of facing him.

Musab Abid: It's strange to see Rafael Nadal seeded as low as No. 10, but there was nothing strange about seeing him play close to his best (in Stuttgart) after his crushing French Open loss. Nadal has made a career of bouncing back spectacularly from adversity, and this tournament could be yet another example of that.

Roh: Jo-Wilfried Tsonga is an apt name suiting this billing. The 13th seeded Frenchman, despite having a trickier draw to deal with, could indeed make it count at the Championships.

2. Early Exit

Grigor Dimitrov

Adnan Akhtar: David Ferrer has never had a great record on grass and is coming into the tournament after an early round loss in Nottingham. He could well be headed home early from the lawns of SW19.

Ball N Racquet: Grigor Dimitrov reached the semifinals last year, after pulling an upset over Andy Murray. All of 2015 has been a low for Dimitrov and there is little indication that the trend will change this fortnight. With an early loss, his ranking could go for a toss.

Jai Prakash: Marin Cilic hasn’t set the world alight since his win at the 2014 US Open. The Croat is struggling to get wins under his belt on a regular basis. With a potential third round clash against John Isner, Cilic will leave the tournament in the first week.

Musab Abid: Stan Wawrinka is primed for a let-down after his fabulous French Open performance, and judging by his past results at Wimbledon, I'm willing to bet he doesn't make the semis this time.

Roh: Last year’s semi-finalist, Grigor Dimitrov has been looking hapless for a while now and it does seem likely that he would extend the bad run of form at the AELTC as well.

3. Dangerous Floater

Nicolas Mahut

Adnan Akhtar: Nicolas Mahut would be my pick for the dangerous floater. The Frenchman famous for his epic duel with John Isner 5 years back, has won all his ATP tour titles on grass. Coming of a title in the Netherlands, he could take out some big guns in the course of the tournament.

Ball N Racquet: Nicolas Mahut could spoil the hopes of some high ranked players. With good results from the first two weeks of the month, he enters Wimbledon with a singles title, a doubles title and a doubles runners-up finish. He is likely to face Tomas Berdych in the second round, when he could create an upset.

Jai Prakash: Alexandr Dolgopolov has had a decent grass court season which included a first round win over Rafael Nadal at the Queen’s club. The Ukrarian has a relatively easy draw and is more than capable of causing couple of upsets in the tournament.

Musab Abid: Philipp Kohlschreiber came within two points of defeating Roger Federer in Halle, and he's always tough out on grass. Novak Djokovic needs to be sharp from the very first match.

Roh: Marcos Baghdatis’ almost been relegated to a has-been. But this Wimbledon could be his chance to jog memories about his prowess on grass.

4. Champion

   

   Andy Murray

Adnan Akhtar: With the recent results on the men’s circuit, choosing a champion has become an extremely tough task. On one hand, Novak Djokovic has had an impressive year, barring the defeat in Paris while on the other hand Federer, Nadal and Murray are all heading to Wimbledon with title wins on grass.

If I would have to choose one player among them who would lift the trophy, I would go with Andy Murray. The Scot heads into the tournament on the back of a title at the Queens Club and has reached the business end of both Slams this year losing out to Djokovic on both occasions. Combined with the home support, a second title at Wimbledon could well be on the cards for the world number 3.

Ball N Racquet: Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic are definitely among the favourites to clinch this title, but Andy Murray could once again make his home crowd ecstatic with a Wimbledon title. His game on the clay courts was vastly improved.

In fact, he took Djokovic to five sets at a slam where David Ferrer was superior to him for the last few years. There is no reason to believe that he cannot replicate his success on the grass courts as well. He might have the toughest draw, with the possibility of facing Nadal, Federer and Djokovic in succession, but could end up being the victor.

Jai Prakash: He hasn’t played any preparatory tournament for Wimbledon, but Novak Djokovic has had enough rest for the Championships. The World No. 1 has an easy passage to the semifinals and Stan Wawrinka isn’t the same threat on grass as he is on other courts. Djokovic looks all set to win his ninth Grand Slam here.

Musab Abid: Andy Murray has played with an intense hunger all year, and the only man standing in his way has been Djokovic. But the Scot is, I believe, the better grasscourt player, and his murderous draw notwithstanding, he is looking the strongest of the Big 4 at the moment.

Roh: Difficult his draw may be, but Roger Federer still retains his excellent game which, to me, makes him the favourite to win the title this year.