Wimbledon 2021 is an iconic tennis championship highlighted on the calendar. It is one of the most watched tennis events in the world, and it is BACK!
The suspense that’s been building up to this event has been incredible. Last year, it was canceled due to the Covid pandemic, and now all eyes are fixed on the Men’s world #1 as the Djokovic continues to dominate.
Novak Djokovic won the Australian Open and just recently made history at the Roland Garros Championship, held in Paris. The final came down to Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Novak Djokovic, the first time in 17 years that a Men’s French Open went the five set distance.
Novak won the match after being down after the first two sets. Tsitsipas, however, was definitely the most improved player of the Championship, and we still see him as the one to beat in the upcoming Championship.
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The Women’s world #1, Ash Barty, didn’t have as much luck at the Paris Championships. Ash was forced to retire as her recurring hip injury continued to cause her trouble.
We did see some exciting tennis from unseeded Barbora Krejcikova, who ended up defeating Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, 31st seed in the world, in three sets.
Will Novak continue his form, and could we see a new Women’s world #1? Here is how we rate the contenders for Wimbledon 2021.
MEN’S SINGLES RANKINGS
We need to address the current rankings for most grand slams won, as this could potentially play a big part in the outcome of this championship.
Current rankings for most grand slams won are:
Roger Federer: 20
Rafael Nadal: 20
Novak Djokovic: 19
Current world #1 Novak has edged one step closer to his goal of being the leader of the pack holding the grandest slams. After Novak’s recent win at Paris, he no doubt has his eye on making history in 2021.
Novak is incredibly focused and zoned in on winning every grand slam in 2021. Novak showed why he is the world #1 after his achievement at the Paris Championship. Down two sets to none in the final against Tsitsipas, he was able to win the next three sets in a row, making it the first five set match in 17 years.
Novak has the highest winning percentage on the grass at just over 90%, with Federer next best at 87.5%. Novak will be the clear favorite to win this championship, and we cannot see any faults in Novak’s game to suggest otherwise.
What an athlete Stefanos is! In the article for the Paris Championship, we highlighted how Stefanos would be the player to watch and we were correct. Stefanos, “The Greek God,” has been in great form all year, and it was no surprise to see Tsitsipas in the Paris final vs Novak.
Let’s not forget that Tsitsipas has now edged up from #5 to #4 in the world rankings. Could the third time be the charm, since Tsitsipas went five sets against Novak at the Australian Open, and then again in the Paris championship?
If this championship wasn’t played on grass, we would see Stefanos as the one to beat. However, it will be a challenge for any player to beat Novak under these court conditions.
Nick Kyrgios could be the player to upset the world #1. For over a decade now, Nick and Novak have always had strong battles, and it seems Nick has nothing to lose if he gets to go up against the current best in the world.
Nick has not been in the greatest form lately but has shown that he saves his best tennis for this event. We are hoping Nick plays Novak early in the tournament, as Nick will be full of energy.
If Nick plays Novak early, it could change the outcome of this tournament.
Roger Federer, aka the GOAT, tore his meniscus, injuring his left knee while running a bath for one of his daughters. Federer underwent arthroscopic surgery to repair his knee but struggled for fluidity throughout the rest of the 2020 season.
Roger has always planned to be back for this championship, as he built his foundation on the grass courts. We decided to add him to the list as it seems he could be saving his energy for this event.
The problem Roger faces is fitness. Although extremely fit, he faces the worry of trying to get through all matches heading toward the final as he has not had much playing time leading up to 2021.
But if Roger can land a few easy matches early on there is a chance he will have plenty of fuel in the tank going into a possible finals match.
Overall
With Nadal pulling out of this tournament, and Roger not having much match fitness, it will be a perfect opportunity for Novak to join these two in having the most grand slams ever won.
Novak is ready to win this championship, although he will hope to avoid playing Nick from Australia.
Stefanos Tsitsipas will be a serious contender yet again.
We are betting on Novak to win the Men’s Singles at Wimbledon 2021
WOMEN’S SINGLE RANKINGS
The biggest news for the Women’s Singles at the moment is that Naomi Osaka has pulled out of the championship, saying she wants to prepare for the Tokyo Olympics.
With the world #2 withdrawing, the opportunities open up for some of the other fine women athletes looking to break out this year.
Simona Halep won the 2019 Wimbledon Championship and it seems that everything is falling into place for her. With Naomi withdrawing and the world #1 under an injury cloud, this could be Simona’s opportunity to win back to back.
Simona will be aiming to defend her title as the current Wimbledon champion and will be hard to beat.
Petra Kvitova had to withdraw from the recent Paris Championship as she fell over and hurt her ankle whilst doing media work. Although Petra had a little time off the courts, there is a possibility she will have something to prove. This could cause some issues for the top seeded players.
How underrated Barbora is! Barbora is a seven-time Grand Slam champion, having won the 2021 French Open singles title, the Women’s doubles titles at the 2018 French Open, 2018 Wimbledon, and 2021 French Open, and the mixed doubles titles at the Australian Open in 2019, 2020, and 2021.
We believe Barbora has the form to be able to win Wimbledon, and the courts here have always been good to her.
Overall
The world #1 Ash Barty did not make the rankings, as there is too much concern over that recurring hip injury. Although Ash could win a few early matches, we cannot see her being able to maintain a high standard with that hip.
Simona Halep, in our view, is a firm favorite to win the championship and defend her 2019 title.
Both Championships, Men’s and Women’s, have a clear favorite. There are some major challenges, however, and if the cards fall the right way we could see some upsets.
On the Men’s side, Novak is the clear favorite. Tsitsipas is on the verge, however, and hoping that the third time will bring him luck. But don’t forget about Aussie wild card Nick Kyrgios at the same time.
The Women’s side, in Ash Barty, has a clear contender as well. Her hip injury could become an issue, though, which is why Simona Halep stands as our favorite.