Rafael Nadal: Bold Predictions for Rafa's Wimbledon 2012 Run

Rafael Nadal has something to prove at Wimbledon 2012.

While Rafa is coming off of a victory in the French Open, he hasn’t won a non-clay Grand Slam since 2010. He’ll likely have to outperform Novak Djokovic or Roger Federer to prove he isn’t a one-surface wonder.

Nadal advanced to the second round of the tournament with a win over Thomaz Bellucci, but he didn’t roll over his opponent like Djokovic and Federer did in Round 1. He struggled early against Bellucci, eventually defeating him 7-6, 6-2, 6-3. According to ESPN, Rafa said after the match:

"I'm very happy to be back on the best court in the world and winning. It's fantastic for me, but I have to improve a lot for the next round."

Here are bold predictions for Nadal the rest of the way.

4. Coast into Quarterfinals

Consider Thomaz Bellucci a warm up. Don’t expect Nadal to slip up at all in the next three rounds.

That first set against Bellucci acted as a bucket of ice water. It woke Rafa up and now that he’s awake, no inferior talent will be able to give him a scare.

Since 2006, Nadal has been to every single Wimbledon final besides in 2009, when he didn’t participate in the tournament due to a knee injury. Over that time period, he’s won a pair of titles in London. An early upset isn’t even a remote possibility.

3. Nearly KO’d by Tsonga

Nadal will meet his match in the quarterfinals…almost.

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga is the fifth-best player in the world and he’s had success against him in the past. In the 2008 Australian Open, Tsonga fought all the way to the tournament’s final match only to lose against Novak Djokovic. One of the players that he mowed down on his way there was Rafa and he dominated him by the score of 6-2, 6-3, 6-2.

Tsonga also knocked out Nadal 7-6, 4-6, 6-3 in the 2011 ATP World Finals, proving that his previous performance was no fluke.

Rafa will survive, but his bout vs. the French star will go down to the wire.

2. Memorable Win over Murray

Tennis’ bright stars are predicting Andy Murray to do some damage in London this year. Eleanor Crooks of The Independent reported that Roger Federer is one of those stars. When asked if Murray will advance to the semifinals, Federer raved about the world’s No. 4 player:

"Absolutely. I predict him to get there. Home-court advantage, playing on grass, with his talent and his game, everything's right there for him. It's up to him to make it happen. I guess you always need a little bit of luck along the way."

Novak Djokovic sang the same tune. He said (via The Independent­): “I know he's a great competitor. He's a great fighter…He has all the qualities to be a grand slam winner. There is no doubt.”

But Despite Murray’s promise, he has yet to advance to the final of a Wimbledon. Expect him to put up a fight, but Nadal will pull off the win in a historically entertaining, must-watch match.

1. Djoker Gets Revenge

Nadal has won three straight matches against Novak Djokovic. Such a streak will cause many fans to believe that Rafa is the best player in the world. Nada’s victories shouldn’t be a surprise, though.

Each of his triumphs was played on clay. Rafa is the King of Clay for a reason—he’s nearly unbeatable on it. His all-time record on clay vs. Djokovic is 12-2, so three straight wins on the surface should be no surprise.

On non-clay courts, though, Djoker is 12-7 against Nadal.

Now, those numbers don’t prove that Djokovic will defeat Nadal in the Wimbledon final. He’ll beat Rafa because he’s the hotter tennis player right now. The stats simply show that fans shouldn’t be deceived by a hot streak on clay.

Expect Djokovic to claim the All England Club crown.

David Daniels is a featured columnist at Bleacher Report and a syndicated writer.

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