Wimbledon 2015: Early Predictions Post-French Open
Have you gotten used to the phrase "Stan Wawrinka, French Open Champion" yet? Well, it's too bad if you haven't, because time marches on, and in the tennis world that means it's time for grass season.
While this year includes an extra week between Wimbledon and the French Open—for a grand total of three weeks before play begins at the All England Club—there's still not much time to make the transition.
Before you know it, your favorite tennis players will be dressed in their all-whites and ready for another major battle.
Right on the heels of the conclusion of the French Open, here are a few of my Wimbledon predictions.
Serena Williams Will Keep Hopes for the Calendar Slam Alive
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Serena Williams didn't savor her French Open victory for long—on court after the win, she told the NBC interviewer, "I'm already thinking about Wimbledon."
While that focus is exhausting for mere mortals like myself, it will do Serena some good. She absolutely loves the All England Club, and she will certainly be hungry to avenge her loss to Alize Cornet from last year and regain her crown.
If she does win, she will set herself up for big things in NYC: a shot at both her 22nd major title, which would tie Steffi Graf as the most of the Open Era, and a chance to become the first woman since Graf in 1988 to win the Calendar Slam.
Perhaps this is just my love of history talking, but I do think she wins Wimbledon.
Plus, she should be over the flu by then. Right?
Stan Wawrinka Will Not Win the Channel Slam
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Stan Wawrinka's run at the French Open was nothing short of incredible. The Swiss star upset No. 2 Roger Federer in the quarterfinals in dominating fashion and then caused one of the upsets of the year when he defeated No. 1 Novak Djokovic in the final to win his second major title.
If you were thinking that Wawrinka was a fluke after his Australian Open win last year, well, you were already wrong, but this should prove that once and for all.
However, I think it's safe to say that Wawrinka will not win the Channel Slam. He has made it to the quarterfinals of Wimbledon only once, and that was just last year.
Plus, while the extra week between the French Open and Wimbledon will help Wawrinka recover a bit, it's still unlikely that he'll be fresh enough physically and mentally to contend after such a big moment in his career.
I predict Wawrinka makes it to the fourth round but gets stopped there.
Simona Halep Will Get Back on Track
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Simona Halep's French Open was disappointing, to say the least. She lost in the second round to Mirjana Lucic-Baroni, and it was the third straight major where she's gone out with a whimper.
To say it's frustrating to watch someone of Halep's talent fail to bring her competitive spirit on the biggest stages of tennis would be an understatement.
But I think she comes back strong at Wimbledon. She was a semifinalist in London last year, so we know she can play on the grass, and I think the quickness of the grass will be good for her—she can get back to the basics of the sport without overthinking things.
Halep is still the No. 3 player in the world, and I think we'll see that form return. She'll make it to the semis.
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The Big Four Will Return to Prominence
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It's been a strange year-and-a-half on the ATP Tour, there's no doubt about that. Two of the past four Slams have been won by Novak Djokovic, and the other two have been won by Marin Cilic and Stan Wawrinka.
But while their suffocatingly dominant stranglehold over the rest of the ATP might be over, the Big Four is far from dead. Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Andy Murray are still ranked in the top three, and I have no doubt that Rafael Nadal will be back up there soon.
Djokovic, Murray and Federer will be the top contenders at Wimbledon this year, and I think one of them wins the title.
Madison Keys Will Have a Deep Run
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Madison Keys had an OK French Open, taking out Varvara Lepchenko and Belinda Bencic before losing to Timea Bacsinszky in the third round. But now she can breathe a sigh of relief, because the American is back on her favorite surface: grass.
Keys won the first title of her career last year on the grass courts in Eastbourne, and she was looking good at Wimbledon until a back injury forced her to retire.
This year, she's looking healthy again and has coach Lindsay Davenport in her corner. Rumor has it that Davenport knows a thing or two about success at the All England Club.
Keys is made out of the Petra Kvitova mold, and after her run to the semifinals of the Australian Open earlier this year, it's time for Keys to go far in a Slam again. She'll make it to at least the quarterfinals.
Rafael Nadal Will Be a Contender for the Title Again
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Remember those years when Rafael Nadal was almost as automatic at Wimbledon as he was at the French Open? From 2006 to 2011, Nadal made five straight Wimbledon finals (he didn't play in 2009), and he won the title twice.
Of course, things have been different since then. In 2012, Lukas Rosol shocked the world by beating Nadal in the second round, and he didn't even make it that far in 2013, falling in the first round to Steve Darcis. Last year, he made it to the fourth round before falling to Aussie teen Nick Kyrgios.
This year is different, though. Nadal left Roland Garros early, giving him more time to prepare for the switch to grass, plus there's an extra week in the schedule already. Having essentially a month to get over Roland Garros and prepare for Wimbledon is a huge difference from having only two weeks.
I don't think we'll see Nadal lift the trophy this year, but I do think he'll make it to at least the semis and start getting his confidence back at long last.
Tara Moore Will Draw Serena Williams in the First Round
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Tara Moore is a 22-year-old British tennis player ranked No. 400 in the world who made some headlines during the French Open—not on the court, mind you, but on Twitter.
Moore took to the social network to offer up her thoughts on Serena Williams' flu-ridden semifinalist performance against Timea Bacsinszky.
Moore tweeted, "Not only is serena one of the best women players of all time, she's also one of the best actresses #suckitup#learnhowtolose#pathetic."
It's quite a bold move to essentially call the world No. 1 a faker and to insist that she needs to "learn how to lose." These comments did not go over well on social media, needless to say.
Moore isn't ranked high enough to even get into Wimbledon quallies, but considering she's British, it's likely she'll receive a wild card. So, since I like to think that the draw gods have a sense of humor, get excited for a Tara Moore vs. Serena Williams first-round popcorn match.
An American Man Will Make the Quarters
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This might be my boldest prediction yet: I think that an American man will make the Wimbledon quarterfinals, thus ending a streak of 14 Slams without an American male major quarterfinalist, dating back to John Isner's run at the 2011 U.S. Open.
Jack Sock is coming off of a fourth-round showing at the French Open, and he's be a great candidate for a run like this, especially considering the last time he was at the All England Club he won the doubles title with Vasek Pospisil.
John Isner seems overdue for a deep run at a major, and if he can get some help with the draw, he's certainly capable of making it to the final eight. Sam Querrey, Steve Johnson and Donald Young could all go far given the right draw as well.
They're going to need some help, and they're going to need to stop fooling around and play their best tennis, but it could certainly happen.
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