Monday 27th March saw the most famous tournament in the sport of tennis commence once more, as the top players in the game descended upon SW19 for the 2022 edition of the Wimbledon Championship. One of the most anticipated two weeks on the British sporting calendar, the event never fails to make the sporting headlines and sees fans tuning in from all around the globe.
Hugely popular from a spectator standpoint, Wimbledon also attracts a great deal of betting interest, with many punters consulting the best new betting sites for Wimbledon to find the latest odds. But who will be raising that famous trophy aloft on Sunday 10th June? Let’s take a look at the main contenders in the men’s draw.
Novak Djokovic
Where else to start than with the super Serb, Novak Djokovic. A six-time Wimbledon winner, including in each of the past three editions, no one in this field has demonstrated an ability to master the grass-court game to quite the degree of the 20-time Grand Slam winner.
Without a slam so far in 2022 and, having now fallen two behind Rafael Nadal in the all-time Grand Slam list, Djokovic will view this as a huge opportunity to close that gap – particularly as his participation in the US Open remains in some doubt. Whilst he doesn’t arrive in quite the same form as twelve months ago, the draw does look to have been relatively kind. Likely to be hitting his stride by the time the tougher opponents roll around, expect a bold bid.
Rafael Nadal
Having compiled a simply remarkable record on the clay courts, it is a testament to Nadal’s all-round game that he arrives at this tournament as the second favourite. Now 36 years of age, the Mallorca native showed that the fire still burns bright with his seemingly annual success at Rolland Garos – he has an incredible 14 French Open titles now – and looks a major threat to all.
Successful here in 2008 and 2010, Nadal can do it on the grass, and with the first two legs of the 2022 Grand Slam already in the bag, won’t be short of motivation. A note of caution does need to be sounded regarding the Spaniard however as – if he is to win Wimbledon – he will need to do so despite a couple of niggling injuries which have been plaguing him of late.
Carlos Alcaraz
If there is a player to burst onto the Wimbledon scene this year it may just be rising star, Carlos Alcaraz. Only 19 years of age, Alcaraz’s all-around game has many tipping him for the very top and – given the years in front of him – it seems a matter of if rather than when he picks up that first major title.
Making it no further than the second round here in 2021, the big-hitting baseliner does need to prove he can perform at his best on grass. That said, Alcaraz does look a better player in 2022 having reached the quarterfinals of both the French and the US already this season. Now up to number 7 in the rankings – and with the number 1 and 2 seeds missing the event – he could be the man to give Djokovic the most trouble in the top half of the draw.
Stefanos Tsitsipas
One spot ahead of Alcaraz in the World Rankings is Greek hope Stefanos Tsitsipas. A true all-court player, with a natural inclination toward an aggressive baseline style, Tsitsipas is another player for whom a major success seems only a matter of time. And the 23-year-old has already come pretty close – making the semi-finals of the Australian in 2019, 2021 and 2022, and the final of the French in 2021.
Listing grass as his favourite surface and Wimbledon as his favourite tournament, could it be at SW19 that the unflappable Athens native finally makes his breakthrough? A best previous performance of a fourth-round exit in 2018 would suggest he has work to do, but there have been noticeable improvements to his game in the past twelve months. The draw could also have been a lot worse, with Tsitsipas in the opposite half to both Djokovic and Alcaraz, and not able to meet Nadal until the Semi-finals.
