2015 Wimbledon: Bold Predictions for the 2nd Week
Wimbledon 2015 will produce a second-week thriller. The title is up for grabs for several top ATP contenders, including Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Andy Murray, Stan Wawrinka, Marin Cilic and Nick Kyrgios. Who will be the only one to stand above all the rest?
In the WTA, it's Serena Williams against everyone else, but it would be too easy to pick the Queen of Tennis. Instead, we are tabbing another veteran star and a rising young player to play on Sunday for the world's most prestigious tennis trophy.
Our "Bold Predictions" column will not shrink away from selecting upsets and plausible happenings, although not all of these will come to pass. So peruse them and be sure to post which ones you think are most likely to occur or which ones are furthest from reality. Better yet, give us your bold takes as well. It's all a part of enjoying the best time for the summer's greatest sport.
Kevin Anderson Will Hit More Aces Than Ivo Karlovic in the Fourth Round
1 of 9
For tennis fans who would like to go back to the days of Goran Ivanisevic and Richard Krajicek, we present a wager-bombing sideshow. Fortunately we don’t need to see John Isner get in on this action. We might not have a computer that could keep up with this troika, so let’s get down to business in the most shocking but nonsensical stat in determining a tennis champion: aces.
We predict that Kevin Anderson will hit more aces in his next match than Ivo Karlovic. Sure, Karlovic has been stealing all the thunder by blasting 42, 53 and 41 aces in his three matches, but we are going to say that Andy Murray locks in, cuts his ace barrage in half and sends Karlovic packing after three short sets.
Anderson will not back into winning this fourth-round ace battle, however. True he warmed up slowly, only producing eight, 34 and 22 aces, his 64 tournament aces less than half of Karlovic’s 136.
The key will be that Anderson wins one set and produces plenty of aces against Novak Djokovic, no easy task for sure.
In the end, both players will lose, but they will inspire a new secondary kind of award, the Goran Ivanisevic trophy.
Denis Kudla will be the best American Player Within One Year
2 of 9
Don’t buy your Jack Sock stock just yet. Sell on the John Isner portfolio. We are going to put our money on qualifier Denis Kudla, age 22, to be America’s top player in 2016.
Now granted, being the best American player is not exactly as rigorous as being the top Swiss, top Serbian or top Japanese player—which is kind of like being in the 1970s and laughing at the notion that Toyota would be bigger than Ford. Americans have even fallen behind their friendly neighbors in Canada.
Good thing Kudla was born in Ukraine, so if he can get over some of his nagging injuries and channel his inner David Ferrer, he could become a David Goffin kind of player, better on grass and quicker surfaces.
At least America can root for an all-around tennis native who isn’t bred to blast serves and rely on trying to put away a forehand as if the chair umpire was only going to allow 25 seconds to play a point.
The Return of Victoria Azarenka: Featuring Serena Williams
3 of 9
OK, it’s not fair to pick Serena Williams for this column. That’s like picking Bill Gates to win a poker game against a child.
Serena has not exactly been a world-beater the past week, but that’s when someone is more likely to trip her up anyway. She’s like Superwoman—the closer she gets to a yellow sun, the more powerful she gets. If the Wimbledon final is analogous to playing on the sun, forget about anyone else outshining her.
Meanwhile, Victoria Azarenka is getting closer. All she needs is to win a big match by blasting away with her heavy groundstrokes while she breaks the sound barrier with her deafening shots. Maybe Azarenka reasons that if she can cause Superwoman to lose her hearing, perhaps her sense of balance will cause her to stumble.
It’s a long shot, but Azarenka might be the last hope in serving up some kryptonite.
Viktor Troicki Will Shock Andy Murray
4 of 9
Really?
OK, Andy Murray is the overwhelming favorite, yes, but Viktor Troicki has had one of the best grass-court seasons the past few weeks. Troicki was a finalist at Stuttgart, finally falling to Rafael Nadal. He nearly sent Murray to a third set at the Queen’s Club tournament, and he will be confident after a Wimbledon win over Dustin Brown.
Troicki’s game is persistent, and he has good reflexes. Murray cannot simply try to outlast him by playing percentage tennis. Troicki can be an opportunist, and Murray will have to knock him out.
So we are not picking Troicki to necessarily defeat Murray, (We're bold but not THAT crazy.) but it will be a long match that takes a lot out of the Scot champion. That will cost him dearly for a potential match against Roger Federer in the semifinals.
Maria Sharapova vs. Lucie Safarova: Best WTA Tennis Match of the Second Week
5 of 9
In the match that might be the most compelling, yes, better than another rerun of the Williams sisters, Maria Sharapova could be seeking quarterfinals revenge against her French Open conqueror, Lucie Safarova.
Safarova is a different player right now and worthy to be considered a contender, but Sharapova will be more wary and prepared to deal with this new WTA threat. Sharapova still has more firepower and a whole lot of toughness against the tour, sans Serena Williams.
It will be a well-fought and thrilling three-setter, with the winner eventually going the final. There’s plenty of contrast with Safarova’s left-handed lean-in attack and Sharapova’s high-adrenaline groundstrokes and feisty screams.
Marin Cilic Will Push Novak Djokovic in Another Five-Setter
6 of 9
Last year, Serbian Novak Djokovic had to rally back from a 2-1 sets deficit in the Wimbledon quarterfinals against Croatian Marin Cilic. It could be tougher this year with another potential quarterfinals meeting. The battle for the Balkans could tip the balance for the Wimbledon title.
Cilic has not had an easy time thus far, playing two five-setters including a 12-10 finale to oust John Isner. He’s more physically imposing than his next opponent Denis Kudla, so he should get through with plenty of energy to take on Djokovic.
While Djokovic is the undisputed No. 1 player in the world and defending Wimbledon champion, Cilic is a formidable server and grass-court player. He should be sharper than he was in the first week, and he is now a player with a major title on his resume. We could witness the kind of match that Djokovic endured in the 2013 semifinals to scrape by Juan Martin del Potro.
It could also be a match that either knocks out Djokovic or depletes him for a semifinal clash against another big hitter. It’s not going to be easy for Djokovic to get to the final, and “bold predictions” is suggesting that he will not get through and win the title.
Stan Wawrinka vs. Nick Kyrgios Will Be a Quarterfinal Clout
7 of 9
Big hitters with a lot of hubris in how they attack bigger stars. Both Stan Wawrinka and Nick Kyrgios have said that they do not fear playing the superstars but rather welcome the opportunities:
Said Wawrinka in the Daily Telegraph, “Play your game, he (Djokovic) doesn’t like you, he doesn’t like the way you play your game, you’re the only player who can really push him back, who can really make him feel uncomfortable."
Kyrgios’ latest statement in BBC Sport came after knocking out big-serving Milos Raonic, succinctly telling the world, “I don't fear anyone.”
Wawrinka should take care of light-hitting David Goffin.
Veteran Richard Gasquet who probably should have defeated Kyrgios in last year’s Wimbledon, did handle Kyrgios 6-3, 6-2 at Estoril, Portugal, earlier this year. Kyrgios should have more advantage on grass, so his serve and power will get him through.
Wawrinka vs. Kyrgios could foreshadow more of the direction of where tennis is headed. Each player will look to outhit the other, going for their shots with unabashed regularity but shrugging off mountains of unforced errors.
Regardless of how the match will turn, tennis fans do not want to miss this one. It’s high-octane energy and aggressive tennis from first to last point. Kyrgios is a tempting pick, but we will go with Wawrinka who recently pasted Kyrgios 6-3, 6-4 at the Queen’s Club tournament on grass.
Madison Keys Will Play in the Wimbledon Final
8 of 9
There’s a merry-go-round of young WTA prospects who are all trying to jump off onto the gravy train. Lately, Eugenie Bouchard and Simona Halep found they could not hold on to the express demands of championship tennis.
How about young American Madison Keys?
Keys is only 20 years old, but she already raised eyebrows Down Under, getting to the Australian Open semifinals, eventually splitting matches with Venus and Serena Williams. She’s athletic and possesses power, which should help her thrive on the quick grass surface.
She’s also showing the intelligence and stability to be a champion. While nobody knows how fragile or strong she will eventually be, until she proves this through experience, there is so much to like about her timing. Other young players are falling back, and she has the opportunity to roll through some of the more troubled and less talented projects.
We’re going with Keys to get to the Wimbledon final in the easier bottom bracket. Her game should give Caroline Wozniacki fits if they meet in the semifinals, and she might be a straight-up co-favorite to defeat Maria Sharapova in the final.
But if you must have a women's final pick, it will be Sharapova picking up her second Wimbledon title 11 years after her surprising entrance to major-winning tennis. She has the determination, fight and experience to finish off greener players when a championship is on the line.
Federermania Will Return This Summer
9 of 9
Roger Federer will be waiting for a tired Andy Murray in the semifinals. And when the two get together, the Swiss Maestro will once again force the action and the offense. Murray has competed more or less on equal footing the past few years, but Federer is still better able to hold his serve and produce the kind of variety that Murray would rather not deal with.
We are not going to use Federer’s 2014 thrashings from Australia to the WTF as prime examples, but the point is that when Federer is playing near his best, he can take Murray right out of his game and cruise to a win behind his serve, net pressure and opportunistic backcourt and midcourt winners. This is what we are predicting this time, on grass, as Federer looks for title No. 18.
Federer will have enough energy and efficiency to take out the winner of the bracket’s top half. It will be a sensational close matchup, touching off many more “Greatest of All Time” articles and waves of Federer tennis fans to happily post tennis comments for the rest of the summer.
It will touch off one more enthusiastic summer wave of Federermania—one more chance to enjoy the legend’s living history as a champion of the moment. Eight Wimbledon titles, imagine that. One more than Pete Sampras, who I’ve always thought of as the most dominant player at Wimbledon.
It might not happen, but then again there’s a good chance. That’s what “bold predictions” are all about.
.jpg?w=600 "Offseason Moves for Every Team 👉")
.png?w=600 "New NBA Mock Draft 📝")
.png?w=600 "Surprising Landing Spots for Top Potential 2026 NBA Free Agents")