It is time to strap yourself in for two weeks of the top grass court tennis that there is. Wimbledon has arrived and it is no surprise who is heading up the outright winner market. Novak Djokovic is back for a title defence at SW19 and he is leading the way at 11/8 odds as the top seed* (betting odds taken from bet365 on June 28th, 2019 at 4:33 pm).
Will it be title number five for him at the Slam? Roger Federer is the second seed and therefore the main opposition to him really. Federer is an eight-time Wimbledon champion and will be, once again looking to roll back the years. It is poor Rafael Nadal who has really drawn the short straw in terms of the draw. He has a tough road ahead of him.
Wimbledon 2019 Winner Odds*
Nova Djokovic 11/8
Roger Federer 11/4
Rafael Nadal 6/1
Stefanos Tstipsias 18/1
Alexander Zverev 28/1
Felix Auger Aliassime 28/1
Milos Raonic 33/1
Marin Cilic 33/1
Dominic Thiem 33/1
Nick Kyrgios 40/1
Kevin Anderson 40/1
Daniil Medvedev 50/1
Matteo Berrettini 50/1
STan Wawrinka 66/1
Karen Khachanov 66/1
80/1 bar
* (betting odds taken from bet365 on June 28th, 2019 at 4:33 pm)
Can Novak Djokovic win Wimbledon again?
Twelve months ago, Djokovic reached into the depths of his reserve to pick up his fourth Wimbledon title. To get to the title he had taken out Kei Nishikori in the quarterfinals over four sets and then needed five sets to topple Rafael Nadal in five sets in a tremendous semi-final battle. Djokovic took the decider 10-8. It was a much easier time of things for the Serbian in the final as he swept past Kevin Anderson in straight sets. Djokovic is at 11/8 to win outright once again* (betting odds taken from bet365 on June 28th, 2019 at 4:33 pm). It would add to his Australian Open title for 2019.
The advantage that Djokovic has in the draw is that he will avoid Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal until potentially clashing with one of them in the Final itself. Djokovic will open against Philipp Kohlschreiber. He should have a fairly manageable section of the draw, but he could have a fourth-round clash against rising young star Felix Auger-Aliassime in the fourth round. It could be Stefanos Tsitsipas or Daniil Medvedev as a quarterfinal opponent. You expect Djokovic to handle himself though.
Will Roger Federer win 9th Wimbledon crown?
Just back in 2017, Roger Federer toppled the Wimbledon field to win a record-breaking eighth title at SW19. He is the second seed in 2019 and the draw has been really favourable to him here. There really is nothing standing in his way across the first week of action. Then at the quarterfinals, the highest ranked player that he could bump into would be Kei Nishikori. So it’s far from being a difficult challenge for him up to that point. There is the potential of a quarter final though against Rafael Nadal or Marin Cilic which is when things will start ramping up for him.
Can Nadal overcome tough draw?
The draw for Rafael Nadal, who is seeded third, looks particularly difficult. While he only meets a qualifier in the first round, he could have a big showdown against Nick Kyrgios in the second round. In the third round, there could be a big battle against Canada’s Denis Shapovalov and then potentially Marin Cilic in the quarters. Then it could potentially be Roger Federer in the final four and Djokovic in the final. That’s just about as rough as things could get for him really. Nadal has won the Wimbledon title twice before, but not since 2010. He was a losing semi-finalist last year to Djokovic.
Can the young guns deliver?
Not for a long time has the next crop of young stars looked so strong. Pretty much for the last couple of seasons, all the pressure in this regard has been on the shoulders of Alexander Zverev. He hasn’t really knocked on the door of winning his first Slam though and looking at his track record that Slam is more likely to come away from a grass court. But this time around Zverev is not the shortest priced of the youngster challengers.
That will be Stefanos Tsitsipas who is at 18/1 odds to win outright* (betting odds taken from bet365 on June 28th, 2019 at 4:33 pm). The young Greek star has produced a very strong season with a couple of titles to his name. He plays such an exciting brand of tennis and he is the current leader in the Race to Milan. Expecting such a young player, one inexperienced at Wimbledon to boot, to topple the dominance of the Big Three (Djokovic, Federer and Nadal) though may detract punters.
The other strong youngsters in the field include Daniil Medvedev and Felix Auger Aliassime. The latter, a young Canadian has been making waves. He is second only to Tsitsipas in the Race to Milan this season and has produced some good grass court form already. He actually looks to be the best of the young NextGen players taking part in the main draw of Wimbledon. But still, in the last sixteen editions of Wimbledon the only other player who has won at Wimbledon besides Djokovic, Federer and Nadal is Andy Murray. Paddy Power have a quote of 1/3 on there NOT being a first-time winner* (betting odds taken from Paddy Power on June 28th, 2019 at 4:33 pm)
British hopes at Wimbledon
Kyle Edmund finally hit a bit of form for the season with a semi-final place at Eastbourne. He really hasn’t been at his best in 2019 and has left it a bit late to try and start peaking for a run at the Grand Slam. Edmund is up in the top quarter of the draw, in the second section along with Medvedev and Tstitpas. Come through all that it would likely be Djokovic in the quarterfinals.
Dan Evans has been in pretty great shape on grass this summer and recently made a return to the top fifty in the world. He is entering as a wild card and is in a section which puts him on a collision course with Marin Cilic in the third round. That is in Rafael Nadal’s section of the draw who would be the most likely fourth-round opponent.
Cameron Norrie is down in the final quarter of the draw, which is Federer’s quarter. Norrie goes up a against Denis Istomin in the first round and would likely be up against Kei Nishikori in the second round.
Can Andy Murray win Wimbledon Doubles title?
There will be extra interest in the Men’s Doubles this season at Wimbledon. That is because Andy Murray is participating in the draw. In his first return to tennis action since his hip surgery, he partnered up with Feliciano Lopez at Queen’s and won the title. He is pairing up with Doubles specialist Pierre-Hugues Herbert for Wimbledon. It would be something if the former singles champion Murray could pull off the doubles title. He could meet his brother Jamie in the third round as well.
1st Quarter Winner Odds
Novak Djokovic 2/5, Stefanos Tsipsitas 6/1, Felix Auger-Asliassime 10/1, Daniil Medvedev 12/1, David Goffin 22/1, 28/1 bar* (betting odds taken from bet365 on June 28th, 2019 at 4:33 pm)
This is Novak Djokovic’s quarter and he is the 2/5 odds-on favourite to win the section* (betting odds taken from bet365 on June 28th, 2019 at 4:33 pm). There’s little surprise there. But if you look at the list of names behind him in this particular market, you see it’s the bulk of the top youngsters, Tsitsipas, Auger-Aliassime and Medvedev. It is going to be fascinating to see what any of those can do in this section to try and unseat the reigning champion.
2nd Quarter Winner Odds
Alexander Zverev 9/2, Milos Raonic 11/2, Kevin Anderson 6/1, Karen Khachanov 9/1, Stan Wawirnka 15/2, 14/1 bar
There are some tough competitors in this section and they will all be wary of the fact that success will likely only reward with a semi-final clash against Novak Djokovic down the line. This is a wide open section though. Milos Raonic has had a troubled period with injury a fair chunk of the season but is one of the better grass court players here. Kevin Anderson is last year’s losing finalist and Stan Wawrinka is a wily old hand. Then with the advantage of youth at the top of the pile is Zverev, who hasn’t quite lived up to Grand Slam expectations.
3rd Quarter Winner Odds
Rafael Nadal 6/4, Dominic Thiem 13/2, Marin Cilic 7/1, Nick Kyrgios 10/1, Jo Wilfried Tsonga 20/1, 22/1 bar
Nadal is the top player in this section but he is really going to have to be at his best to get through what could be some stiff challenges. It could be Kyrgios as early as the second round for example. Nadal did a fantastic job on the grass last year, and it’s no secret that it is not his best surface at all. Can he deliver? Dominic Thiem was beaten by Nadal in the final of the French Open recently and looks to realistically be the biggest challenger to the Spaniard in this section. But Marin Cilic is a player who can fly under the radar and can never be written off.
4th Quarter Winner Odds
Roger Federer 8/11, John Isner 11/1, Kei Nishkori 11/1, Matteo Berrettini 17/2, Borna Coric 16/1, 28/1 bar
This is Federer’s quarter and therefore it is hard to expect much of an upset in this one. Because it would be Niskhori opposing him at the fourth round stage, it would be he who would be the most likely of the players in this section to stop Federer moving through to the second week of action. Still, just once since 2003 has Federer failed to make it to at least the quarterfinals. He has been to the final of three of the last five editions. He should win this section with a degree of comfort.
Predictions
You look at some of the more experienced competitors like Wawrinka, Juan Martin del Potro and Marin Cilic and think about the missed chances they have had in winning at Wimbledon. So the most likely scenario is that if it is not to be one of the Big Three, then it would likely be a gutsy youngster. The Field is 6/4 to win Wimbledon with Paddy Power* (betting odds taken from Paddy Power on June 28th, 2019 at 4:33 pm) over Federer and Djokovic.
Canada’s Felix Auger Aliassime has been in terrific grass court form and could make a bit of a splash for himself, but then he’s in that tough section at the top of the draw alongside Djokovic. With Tsitsipas, Medvedev, Shapovalov, there is some sparkling young talent around. But still, none of it is looking convincing enough to stop Djokovic from landing a title defence.
