Wimbledon 2012: 4 Grass-Court Specialists the 'Big 3' Must Watch out for

The Big 3, consisting of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, have won all of the past nine Wimbledon championships.

The Swiss King of Grass and Hard Courts (though Pete Sampras presented himself as a great competitor to the grass title) has won six titles alone.

Nole, after becoming the world No. 1 player last year, won his dream title for the first time and is now the defending champion.

But there can only be one winner, and the Big 3 may have some other grass-courters in the field to watch out for.

Here are four players whose games are well-suited for grass and have endured recent success on tour.

Milos Raonic

The tall-standing, monster-serving Canadian is certainly not undiscovered by now, but he has yet to beat any member of the Big 3.

He earned his first win over Andy Murray a few tournaments prior on clay and is looking to improve his statistics over the top 10.

He has played Federer three times in the past few months and has lost each match after securing the first set.

Rarely does he break down against the top guns, but it does seem untimely when he gives up the advantage.

Milos' comfort level in playing short, quick points will benefit him on grass, and he can come to net or hit devastating ground strokes to make a good run this year at SW19.

He was close to playing the top stars last year but suffered an unfortunate hip injury due to an unintentional slide on the surface.

Richard Gasquet

This Frenchman has had a very long career path and has been looking to re-enter the top 10 for several years now.

He has the weapons and game to do it, but perhaps the mentality will never be there.

Gasquet has one of the best net games on tour and has a very sensible backhand slice to accompany his out-of-this-world backhand.

Though his serve is lacking in some departments, he loves to play on this surface and adapts well considering his game is meant for clay.

He can potentially show us this year why his 2007 semifinals run, along with his brilliant recent showings at the Australian and French Open, were no flukes.

Tommy Haas

Roger Federer has already seen the immaculate tennis Tommy Haas has produced as of late since he fell to the German-American in straight sets in the Gerry Weber Open final in Halle.

As Federer usually says about grass, the match was dictated by "a few points here and there," so perhaps a rematch in London would provide a different outcome.

However, Haas' old age, grit and nothing-to-lose/never-say-die attitude make him a true threat and contender at Wimby.

He is a great spot server, can strike the ball well off both wings, scramble around the court and approach the net with ease.

When he made the semifinals of the prestigious tournament in 2009, he made it his game plan to charge the net as frequently as possible, throwing in serve-and-volley plays more often than not.

I believe he can knock out Djokovic or Federer on this surface but with Nadal, it is a completely different story and task to execute.

Grigor Dimitrov

This young Bulgarian, who was a Junior Wimbledon champion, knows that he has potential and will look to earn some big wins next week.

He reached his first semifinal in an ATP level event last week in Queen's, beating the likes of Gilles Muller, Nicolas Mahut and Kevin Anderson (who all happen to be phenomenal grass players).

His game, which bears a strong resemblance to Roger Federer's, can be utilized for all-around specialty on the court.

He can scramble, hit his spots well on the serve and come to net with efficiency.

His weaker shot, the backhand, will be helped by the conditions of the grass, and his slice will be dipping more than ever.

Maybe now is his time—the world will be watching and a future champion may be born again at the All England Club before our very eyes.

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