Wimbledon Tennis 2015: Championship Odds and Predictions for Top Contenders
Who will win Wimbledon in 2015?
Nobody knows. Many will predict and guess. The truth is, every player has a shot, and there are no losers yet. Wild-card recipients, qualifiers and players whose names are too difficult to pronounce start at the same point as multiple-times Grand Slam winners.
That's why they're all smiling at pre-Wimbledon parties.
On the road to the Wimbledon title, some have a better chance of reaching their desired destination. According to the oddsmakers, relayed by Odds Shark, Madison Keys has a better chance at winning Wimbledon than five-time winner Venus Williams. Perhaps they saw the draw that puts Serena Williams in Venus' path.
The draws provide the paths contenders must travel to win the title. However, the All England Club tournament annually produces upsets from upstarts who drive top players out of contention.
Serena Williams is trying to win her sixth Wimbledon title and 21st Grand Slam. She's also on pace to win her first calendar-year Slam. To do so, she must navigate through the top half of the draw, where Victoria Azarenka may be waiting.
Andy Murray may have to travel through Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic to win a second Wimbledon title. Now that's a rocky road.
The oddsmakers have spoken about the players they think have the best chances of triumph. The following slides feature their top contenders and some predictions about how they'll perform.
Stan Wawrinka: 14-1
1 of 10
Seed: 4
Prediction: Stan Wawrinka has won a Grand Slam on hard courts and clay. His game, with its massive serve and killer backhand, should translate to a grass-court title. Yet so far, it hasn't.
Wawrinka has won 10 titles in his career. None of them were on grass. He recently lost to Kevin Anderson in straight sets at the Queen's Club Championships in London.
Despite his obvious weapons, Wawrinka has enjoyed little success at Wimbledon. Before reaching the quarterfinals last year, Wawrinka had lost in the first round in three of his previous four appearances.
That will change this year. Wawrinka will reach the semifinals for the first time. If he plays like he did at the French Open, he might even win it all.
Simona Halep: 12-1
2 of 10
Seed: 4
Prediction: Simona Halep recently announced that she has split with her coach, Victor Ionita, reported by the Women's Tennis Association. She will reportedly work with Darren Cahill during Wimbledon, relayed by TSM Plug (h/t UbiTennis).
Already suffering through something of a slump, Halep picked an odd time to bring more uncertainty to her game.
But that's what she's trying to overcome: uncertainty. She's stated publicly that she hasn't felt like she's playing her game.
After her early exit at the French Open, Halep told Leigh Walsh of Wimbledon.com: “I couldn’t feel my game. I didn’t feel the ball 100 percent. I started to hit the ball too strong, and that is not my style. I don’t feel it and I don’t handle it.”
She lost to Kristina Mladenovic at the Aegon Classic. After taking the first set 6-2, Halep committed five double faults and was bageled in the second.
Even minor changes can cause a player major anxiety going into a Grand Slam. The coaching change could prove to be a good move down the road. But for now, it's a massive speed bump. Halep won't survive the first week.
Rafael Nadal: 10-1
3 of 10
Seed: 10
Prediction: Rafael Nadal enters Wimbledon with his lowest seeding for the tournament. The 14-time Grand Slams champion has had a rough go of it this season. Although he managed to win a grass-court tournament in Stuttgart, Nadal has simply not played well.
Unfortunately for the Spaniard, the tennis gods saw fit to put him in the same part of the draw as Andy Murray. But forget that potential quarterfinal matchup, Nadal has to worry about getting out of the first two rounds.
He opens against Thomaz Bellucci, a veteran player who could be tricky. If he beats Bellucci, Nadal faces a possible second-round match against Dustin Brown. The big-serving German, known as Dreddy, defeated Nadal on grass at Halle last year.
Given Nadal's uneven performances this season and the nightmare draw, he will probably fall in the first week too.
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Victoria Azarenka: 9-1
4 of 10
Seed: 23
Prediction: Victoria Azarenka is ranked outside the Top 20. However, the oddsmakers are showing her a lot of respect. Azarenka came close to defeating Serena Williams in Madrid and led by a set at Roland Garros.
She may get another chance at Williams in the quarterfinals at the All England Club.
Azarenka has to guard against looking beyond early-round opponents to that possible showdown with Williams. She faces a possible third-round meeting against Carla Suarez Navarro or Kristina Mladenovic, and the latter has been playing some solid tennis.
A former No. 1 and two-times Slam winner, Azarenka has probably grown tired of having to fight her way into the second week of Slams.
She'll carry that chip on her shoulder into the quarterfinals.
Roger Federer: 6-1
5 of 10
Seed: 2
Prediction: Federer turns 34 in August. Although it's been years since he's dominated the ATP Tour, the fact he remains near the top is a testament to his ability to adapt as he ages.
Federer is going into Wimbledon on the back of picking up his eighth title in Halle. You've got to be willing to bet he'd trade all of those for an eighth Wimbledon title.
No matter whom he faces, Federer carries a certain confidence and gravitas with him on grass. He's had so much success at Wimbledon, winning a record seven times, that his opponents must feel it too.
Federer's experience and championship pedigree should help him cruise into the semifinals.
Maria Sharapova: 7-1
6 of 10
Seed: 4
Prediction: Winding up in the same half of the draw as Serena Williams is just one obstacle standing in the way of Maria Sharapova's winning a second Wimbledon title.
Her first-round match is an upset waiting to happen. She faces Johanna Konta, the Australia-born Brit who now calls her home Eastbourne, England.
Sharapova hasn't played a match since her fourth-round loss to Lucie Safarova in the French Open.
Konta, meanwhile, pulled off a few upsets in grass-court tuneups. She reached the quarterfinals in Nottingham and then upset Garbine Muguruza and Ekaterina Makarova at Eastbourne.
A rested but perhaps rusty Sharapova against a red-hot British player with the Wimbledon crowd going wild?
The following is by far the boldest prediction of this slideshow: Sharapova will go out in the first round.
Andy Murray: 11-4
7 of 10
Seed: 3
Prediction: Fresh off a win at the Aegon Championship in London, Murray is hoping for good things at the All England Club. His draw is not be among them.
As detailed by the Daily Mail, Murray faces possible matches against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Nadal and Federer just for a chance at a chance to play Djokovic in the final.
Still, Murray is healthy and this grass is his home turf. He'll use the crowd's energy to carry him to the Wimbledon final for the first time since he won the tournament in 2013.
Petra Kvitova: 7-2
8 of 10
Seed: 2
Prediction: Petra Kvitova's beat down of Eugenie Bouchard in last year's Wimbledon final was so impressive that oddsmakers have her a close second behind Serena Williams as the most likely winner of this year's championships.
If anyone other than Williams held that No. 1 spot, it would be Kvitova.
She upset Williams in Madrid, which should offer Kvitova the confidence she needs if she winds up facing the 20-times Slam champion in the final.
Although Williams owns five Wimbledon titles, it's worth remembering that Kvitova has won the tournament twice in the past four years.
With a favorable draw, expect Kvitova to return to the final. Don't be shocked if she plays spoiler.
Novak Djokovic: 5-4
9 of 10
Seed: 1
Prediction: After suffering a heartbreaking loss at the French Open last year, Djokovic rebounded to win Wimbledon. Can he do the same in 2015?
Why not? Djokovic is as resilient as they come.
It helps that he landed on the lighter side of the draw, opposite Nadal, Federer and Murray. However, Wawrinka, the man who crushed Djokovic's dream at Roland Garros, may be awaiting the Serbian in the semifinals. If he is, there will be more pressure on Djokovic than Wawrinka.
If Djokovic reaches a Wawrinka-less semifinal matchup, the Serbian will be back in the final to defend his title.
Serena Williams: 7-4
10 of 10
Seed: 1
Prediction: No player has more on the line at this year's Wimbledon than Serena Williams. She's trying to win her first title at the All England Club since 2012.
Williams has a difficult draw. But the toughest opponents show up in the later rounds, in which she is at her best.
The adage "if she's healthy" doesn't seem to apply to Williams, who was ill throughout her French Open and Australian Open title runs.
The bigger question relates to whether she's focused and relaxed. If she is, she'll win. Williams has threats all over her draw. And with her, upsets can come from anywhere when she's having an off day.
On grass, Kvitova, 2-0 in Wimbledon finals, is probably the only player who could beat Williams at her best.
If the final comes down to those two, Williams is less likely to crack under the pressure. She's more likely to be thankful for her 21st Slam title.
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