Wimbledon 2012: Who Can Topple the Big 3; Strategies Opponents Can Use

It is almost a mythical feat. Vanquishing even two of the behemoths—Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer—at a Major should have the victor richly commemorated in timeless poetry such as Longfellow's The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere. Hell, with Nadal having an asteroid named after him, a petition for a constellation shouldn't be too far fetched for the lucky player in the field who can top them.

But since winning a tennis match against the world's best is arguably a less challenging feat than slaying a dragon, let's take a look at the draw, find out how the trinity can be defeated, and whom is best equipped to do so: 

Roger Federer

In its most pure form, numbers do not lie.

Yet, thankfully in our society, common sense prevails and tells us that what the aged Swiss Maestro did at Wimbledon from 2003-2009 should have no bearing on what happens at this year's fortnight. The simple reason is that he obviously is not the same player he once was.

Now, although he does not possess that dancer's feet we once witnessed, the guile and wisdom that he has acquired over the years still makes him a formidable foe virtually anywhere on the planet; having proven that this year with his multiple Masters 1000 tournament wins.

The best way for the rest of the pack to knock him down a rung? Since no one is capable of hoisting the hammer of Nadal or playing the supreme return game of Djokovic, the best way would be to keep hitting the ball down the line from both wings and get a lead early.

Wimbledon is played on a grass, the fastest surface of the four Majors and Federer has an unbelievable record when winning the first set. Stretch the man's physical limits and wear him down and we could be seeing another un-Federer like quick exit.

It is very possible for Federer to be defeated by an unrelenting server like Milos Raonic who has pushed him to the brink multiple times this year or even a grinder like David Ferrer that will move him all over.
Lucky for him, neither are in his draw.

The biggest foe is his quarter is John Isner, a player that has defeated him on clay earlier in the year. Federer figured out the Isner enigma on the hard courts of Indian Wells, and although grass is another animal, the Fed-Express should smoothly sail through to the Semi-Finals.

Novak Djokovic

The Djoker is not in the midst of the same form entering the tournament as he was 12 months ago. Although having one Grand Slam in the bag this year, his level of play has tapered off ever so slightly and could invite trouble from his neighbors at the top of the food chain if he wants to hoist the Golden trophy once again.

Although Nole was taken to five sets a couple of times at Roland Garros earlier this month, including once by Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, it was a different surface and he did what great champions do—he persevered and broke on through to the final.

The way for someone like Nadal (whom I believe has the best chance to defeat Nole) to tackle the Djokovic conundrum is to stand a bit farther back behind the baseline when receiving the serve and then move forward after hitting it to the forehand, rather than aggressively returning a first serve for a winner just anywhere. The forehand is the more susceptible wing, although more winners can fly off it, so starting a rally with a Djokovic forehand is the ideal option. His backhand is possibly the best in the game, and although there won't be as many winners from his racquet from that side, he is much steadier and feels more comfortable dictating play with his two-handed blasts. Hitting to his non-steadier side early on can help his opponent in taking control of the rally because the Djoker will not employ a 'hit or miss' offense to try and end points within the first couple strokes.

It would not be alarming to see Djokovic being tested more this year than last in the earlier rounds, but I don't see any real trouble looming on the horizon till he potentially matches up against Tomas Berdych. Someone like Berdych, a former Wimbledon finalist, who is strong off both sides and uses a powerful serve in addition to flat ground strokes to create great angles, has an outside chance to halt the Serb's quest to re-write history.

Rafael Nadal

The topspin king has the unfortunate distinction of being a three-time loser in the finals at SW19. Although his situation is different than Atlas (ala Goran Ivanisevic or Andy Roddick) since he has been to the mountaintop on more than one occasion, at 26 years of age he seems to still be playing some of the best tennis of his career in his pursuit of a 12th Grand Slam.

If anything, Nadal has gotten better since he has had to consistently reinvent and evolve his game—first from a strict dirt-baller, to adding slice and depth to his back hand, and later adjusting his first serve.

Truth be told, it was 2005—as a fresh faced 19 year old, sleeveless tee wearing Nadal with 10 less Grand Slams to his credit—to recall when someone not named Federer or Djokovic defeated him at the All-England Club.

It is hard to see anyone else besides them doing the job this year either (and I don't envision Roger being able to step to the plate once more), save for the odd match if Nadal is 'off' and someone with an all-around game who can mix it up like Jo-Wilfried Tsonga comes ready to the playground to swing and run. 

To beat Nadal, one needs to put pressure on his first serve and force him to try and hit winners with his backhand—his relative weaknesses. On grass, Nadal gets more bang for his buck on his serve and that poses another problem for his opponents.

However, someone like Tsonga, who knocked Federer off his pedestal last year en route to the semi-finals, is a speedy big man with great reach and ability with both strokes who uses a solid serve that complements his serve-and-volley style. That could add up to spell doom for the Mallorcan.

And what about the man from Dunblane, Andy Murray you ask? Well, most pundits have declared Great Britain will add to their drought with the recent slip in form of the Scot. Though the claims on his chances to win as 'dead' is premature, it is difficult to envision him playing deep into the second week of the tournament even if he made claims that his back is feeling better and has 'some tricks up his sleeve' since he will have to face several talented players.

Big servers like the aforementioned Raonic in addition to Ivo Karlovic, Andy Roddick and other supremely-talented ball strikers such as former World No. 3 Nikolay Davydenko, current World No. 5 David Ferrer, Grand Slam finalist Marcos Baghdatis, Marin Cilic and Juan Martin Del Potro are all lurking in his draw. 

Even though Muzzah is one of the best returners in the game, frankly speaking Murray could be X'd out of Wimbly at any round. He cannot afford to take even a set off, and while I feel he can handle almost all the heavy hitters on his day, it will be a struggle for him to make it through his draw.

The good news for the Union Jack is that none of the players mentioned in his draw are strong favorites to capture the title either, and although they may be causes of concern for his fans none of them are entering the tournament with any strong expectations or momentum (Cilic won the Queens tournament in a depleted field in a walk-over final).

Regardless of who comes out of that quarter, something tells me a couple Sundays from now, the lefty will be playing in front of the Royal Box.

Maybe the rest of the field would have a better chance if they let out a primal 'VAMOS!' once in a while. They say imitation is the best form of flattery. Hopefully this can one day lead to them imitating the Big Three and winning Wimbledon.

Friendly advice: Save your money and don't count on it.