2009 Wimbledon Picks: Will Fedex and Masha Regain the Crown?

While the French Open threw some unexpected results with Roger Federer finally winning the French Open taming the guy who dumped Nadal out of the tournament, yet there is nothing like beating Rafa and then winning at Paris as Rafa did beat Federer on grass and won Wimbledon last year in style.

With Rafa suffering from injuries, this could be the year for Roger and what better place than Wimbledon to go one up on Pete and break his record for most career grand slam titles?

Though there are few others who could ruffle his feathers on grass, there are some contenders who can tip the balance. These include the British hope Murray, and the mercurial Safin who surprised everyone by reaching the semi-finals last year.

This year being Marat's final Wimbledon sojourn, he can give it his all to make it a fairy tale retirement on grass while others like Roddick, Potro and Djokovic should survive the first week.

There are also some dangerous floaters like Haas, Tsonga, and Blake who can cause an upset or two. 

On the women’s side among the current players, there are four who have won the title and that includes the Williams sisters, Sharapova, and Mauresmo.

While the William sisters have shown indifferent form off-late, don’t be too surprised if one of them once again takes the crown as in the last nine years, they have won it seven times coming from nowhere.

Sharapova is coming back from an injury and after an unexpected dream run at the French Open, don’t be surprised to see her emerge as one of the clear favourites to reclaim the title which she won in 2004 while Mauresmo is on a decline and if she reaches the quarter-finals it should be good for her.

Among the others, Safina, Kuznetsova and Dementieva do pose a threat and though Kuznetsova did win the French Open, she will have to face the likes of young guns like Azarenka and Wozniacki to get to the final four. 

Among the men’s side if Nadal can stay fit he could once again face Federer in the finals and we can expect a great finals, but don’t count out the dangerous Safin while Taylor Dent if he progresses to the main draw can cause an upset or two.

Among the women if Sharapova gets into her rhythm she should be tough to dislodge while the Williams sisters are not invincible anymore and fitness will play a crucial role.